Witness Seclusion
by FyreMasen
Summary: Detective Cullen has only one objective: put the murderer of a young prostitute behind bars. What he doesn't consider is where his evidence might come from and what he'll have to do to ensure its safety.
1. Chapter 1

**Contest Entry for May to December Contest**

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**This fic is dedicated to Nicffwhisperer for nudging us, which in turn pushed us from our comfort zone (and we definitely both came out of our comfort zones lol) and allowed us to bring you this! Thanks Nic!**

**Thanks so much to our wonderful beta kitchmill, who always takes her time to make our stuff prettier … and looked for holes in this one ;)**

**Disclaimer**: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

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**EPOV**

"Edward, you're still here? You were supposed to meet us two hours ago," my younger sister Alice says as she barges into my office.

"I know, Ali. I'm sorry. I feel like I'm almost at a breakthrough in this case."

"Oh, Edward. You still have to eat. Is this about that young girl?" she asks.

I sigh. "It is. I just can't get it off my mind." I've been working on the murder of a young prostitute, and I fucking know James Hunter's responsible. Now I just have to get the proof. He's a well-known drug dealer, and my gut says he's the one putting these girls on the street.

Alice puts her arms around me. "Honey, I know you're worried about those other girls, but you've let this job take over your life. You eat, sleep and breathe it. We hardly ever see you anymore unless we come by here, and when's the last time you were even on a date?"

"That's really not your concern," I say, maybe a little too harshly, but I don't have the patience for it. I'm a thirty-five-year-old man who doesn't need his family meddling in his personal life. Sure, I want to settle down one day, but it'll be when I meet somebody worth it. I definitely haven't met anyone in this town I want to pursue. "I know you're all worried for me, but don't be. I have a job I love and a great family. What more could a man ask for?"

"Oh, I don't know, a girlfriend?" she replies with that smartass smirk on her face.

I bark out a laugh at her audacity. "Sure, Ali, a girlfriend would be nice, but that'll come on my terms, not yours or Mom's."

"Okay, I get it. Just don't keep shutting us out. Make time for this wonderful family you say you have. That's all I'm asking."

"You got it, kid. Now go, I got work to do." I playfully give her a shove toward the door and send her on her way.

This fucking case has me on edge more than any other since I took this job. Originally from Seattle, I moved to a smaller town because I was tired of witnessing the vicious cycle of death and destruction. Everything was good the first couple years, but lately the crime rate has been picking up, and now we have a murdered girl.

All this seems to coincide with the arrival of one James Hunter, drug king extraordinaire and suspected pimp. Sure, there were working girls before, but only a few regulars. With the arrival of James, we've had a serious outbreak of young girls jump in the game. I've made it my personal mission to put a stop to it.

I hadn't been here long when my family decided to join me on the quieter side of life, and slowly they all relocated to Forks. My father opened his own OBGYN clinic, and my mother is a psychologist at the hospital. Alice is fresh out of college and is planning to open a boutique.

I pick up the phone and dial the chief's extension. "Yeah," he barks into the receiver.

"Chief, it's Cullen. Look, I think we need to interrogate some of these prostitutes and hope we can get a lead out of one of them. Just want to clear my plan before moving forward."

"What did you have in mind, son?" he asks.

"I want to round them up. Charge them with whatever we can. Anything to get them in here so I can have a go and see if any of them know anything. Maybe even drag in some of the older ones that've been around for a while." I need a link and these girls must have some kind of information.

"Sounds like you got a plan then, Cullen. Keep me informed on your progress," he grumbles out before hanging up the phone.

The next morning, after only four hours of sleep, finds me at the head of the briefing room with a few other officers. Newton, Crowley, Whitlock and McCarty all stand at the ready.

"All right, men. We have only one objective for the next few days. I want any and every known and suspected prostitute, especially the young ones, brought in on any infraction we can find. And I mean _anything_—from soliciting to jaywalking. Got it?" I say in my most commanding voice.

"Yes, sir," they reply in unison.

"Well, don't just stand there, get to it," I snap.

~WS~

I've spent the last two weeks interrogating every prostitute brought in to no avail. Not one single thing to link James has come from these talks.

We were lucky enough to be able to save a few of them. When offered a chance to walk away from that life, almost half of the girls took it. They were set up in a women's shelter run by Officer McCarty's wife Rosalie. She has her own personal experience with abuse, and these girls couldn't have been put in a better place.

I have two more girls set up in interrogation rooms. First up is Lauren Mallory, supposed best friend of the victim, Jessica Stanley. A glance through the observation window shows another young girl scared out of her mind to be here. I need to work that fear to my advantage.

My face is schooled into a stern expression as I enter the room with a folder in my hand. Miss Mallory's head snaps then immediately lowers once she's made eye contact. I pace around, hoping to build her insecurity before taking a seat directly across from her.

"Miss Mallory, do you know why you're here?" I ask with a bite in my voice.

"Y-yes, sir," she stammers out.

"What's your connection to James Hunter?" I lean forward and go in for the kill right off. The folder making a loud smack as it drops to the table. Intimidation is key with these girls. They have to be more afraid of me than the suspect.

"W-what?"

I stand and prop my fists on the table and get in her face. "Your best friend, Jessica, was murdered, Miss Mallory. I'd think you'd want to help bring in her killer. Now tell me, what is your connection with James Hunter?" I demand.

"Um, he's my boss."

"Your boss, as in your pimp?" Before she can answer, I continue. "The same man who was Jessica Stanley's pimp? The one who's most likely responsible for her murder?"

She gasps. "No, James would never hurt any of us." She starts to tear up.

I laugh, loud and cold. "Is that what you think, Miss Mallory? That he would never hurt you?" I throw a set of Jessica's autopsy photos on the table between us. It's a harsh reality, but I'm tired of this game.

Miss Mallory's face turns ashen, and she begins puking all over the place. _Fuck!_ "Guard," I yell as I open the door and go out into the hall. Damn it, this is not what I was hoping for. I scrub my fingers through my hair and give it a tug.

As the guard approaches, I bark out orders to clean Miss Mallory up and get her back into a holding cell. Fuck my life; this isn't going as I hoped. Miss Mallory was no help at all. Maybe this next one will be the key.

Through the next observation window, I take in the girl sitting at the table. She's different than the others. She sits confidently, almost provocatively, yet looks so young that I have to wonder if she's even eighteen.

Her name is listed as Isabella Dwyer, age twenty-one, but no way is that true. She isn't in the system, so it's difficult to verify.

Her eyes snap to me when I enter. She raises an eyebrow and slowly drags her gaze from my toes to my head, lingering on my midsection. She then looks me right in the eye and smirks.

I ignore that and put my game face on.

"Miss Dwyer, do you know why you're here?"

She smiles and leans toward me. "Call me Bella, and I hope it has something to do with getting to know you better."

I laugh humorlessly. "I assure you, Miss Dwyer—"

"I asked you to call me Bella."

"Fine, _Bella._ You don't want to get to know me any better. That could mean very bad things for you."

She licks her lips. "Mmmm, I might like for you to do bad things to me Officer"—she looks at my badge—"Cullen."

"It's _Detective_ Cullen. And I'm not playing games with you. I want you to tell me what you know about the murder of Jessica Stanley."

Fear and something else flash across her face, but it's quickly masked by a cocky grin. "Well that's easy enough. I don't know anything. So can I go now?" She starts to get up.

"Sit down!" She glares at me, but does as I say. "You can leave when I say. Until then, you will sit there and answer my questions."

She stays quiet.

"Now, tell me what you know about her murder and James Hunter."

This time I see the terror on her face, but she hides it quickly. "Look if you want to spend more time with me we can arrange something. You don't have to keep me here. Trust me, I'd be happy to keep you company for a while."

I pull my chair around and sit next to her. "Look, Miss Dwyer"—she starts to interrupt again but I press on before she can—"I know you know something. If you're scared or fear you'd be in danger, then we can protect you. But I need you to tell me what you know."

She huffs out a laugh. "I'm not afraid of anyone. I don't know anything. Now can I please go? I have things to do, and I'm not going to get paid sitting here." She moves closer to me and lowers her voice. "Unless you want to keep me here for another reason." Her hand lowers to rest on my knee. "I'd be happy to spend some time with you away from here … for free." She starts moving it up my leg.

I grab it, stopping its progression, and place it on the table. I give her a hard stare, taking in her face. Mahogany hair frames her porcelain skin and deep, dark eyes. She looks so young and even though I know she's anything but, she has an innocence about her. What could have led such a beauty to this life?

Then I remember I shouldn't care. It isn't my job to change this girl's life. It makes no difference to this case why she does what she does. But as I sit here looking at this fierce woman who probably isn't even old enough to drink, I can't help but feel something stir within me.

I soften my voice. "Bella, you have your whole life ahead of you. James is dangerous. I know he is. Tell me what happened to Jessica, please."

Her face changes, and for the first time since she's been here she's not wearing any type of mask. "Look, I wish I could help you; Jessica was a nice girl. But I can't." She looks at me as if imploring me to believe her. But she isn't telling the truth.

I sigh. "I know you know something. I know you do, and I need you to tell me."

Her mask slips back on. She bites her lip and looks at me through her lashes. "Detective, you seem like a nice guy, and I don't see a ring on your finger. Something tells me you're married to your job. I bet you get lonely. When's the last time you had some pussy?"

I shake my head at her latest attempt to change the subject. "We can stay here as long as it takes until you tell me what you know, but it'd be a lot quicker if you stop playing games."

Anger flashes through her eyes. "I can play all sorts of games, Detective. I bet I could teach you a few." She bites the tip of her finger, letting her tongue peak out.

I just sit back, cross my arms over my chest and stare at her.

She leans toward me. "How many women have you been with, Detective? Two, maybe five? Were any of them adventurous? Did you explore new things with them? Or did they just lay there and let you pump into them?"

My mind flashes to my previous lovers. They've all been nice women, but she hits too close to home with my past experience. I maintain my façade, not letting her see she's right or getting to me at all.

She continues, "How many of those women sucked your cock? I bet those that did made it seem more like a chore. I enjoy it, and I'd love to feel yours down my throat. I've learned to control my gag reflexes."

I can feel my dick twitch, and know I need to shut her down.

"Is this really the life you want? Do you know what kind of life most women in your profession have? Not that you'll have to worry about it long with James Hunter out there. I'm sure at some point you'll be his target if you don't help us."

She sits back and looks at me as if she might be considering what I'm saying.

"And if you don't care about your own life, how about the other young girls out there? Don't they deserve to be safe? James is bad, and as long as he's free none of you are. Help me, Bella."

Tears well in her eyes as they dart around the room. "I can't," she whispers.

"Why not? I can tell you know something."

She closes her eyes, and those tears start to fall. "I don't want anyone else to be hurt. These girls deserve better. None of them should even be out there. But I _can't_. If I say anything, he'll kill me."

I scoot a little closer and try to ignore how good she smells. "I told you, we'll keep you safe. No one will get to you."

She whispers so quietly I can barely hear, so I lean closer. "From what I've heard, James has people inside the police department. It's one of the reasons he came here. So no, you can't keep me safe."

"Bella, you can trust me. All I want is to put James behind bars and keep all of you safe. We've already gotten three girls to a safe house."

She looks into my eyes and studies my face, carefully considering my words.

The wheels are spinning as I think of a plan. "If you really can help us put James away, then you have my word I'll personally keep you safe. I trust the chief and can promise you that he'll go along with me."

"What's your plan?" she asks.

I'm going to regret this and it's going to test me in ways I've never been tested, but I have no choice. I need to put James away, and I feel this need to get Bella off the street and to have her safe. "I'm going to personally oversee your safety. You'll be living with me."

She looks taken aback, but then a slow, easy smile spreads across her lips. "I knew you couldn't resist."

"Miss"—she gives me a harsh eyebrow raise—"Bella, I don't want you to confuse my actions with anything other than what they are. You know something, and I want James Hunter in jail. I_ will_ protect you from him, and in return you _will_ tell me everything you know. Are we clear?"

She salutes me. "Yes, sir, Mr. Detective, sir."

I let out a small chuckle and finally feel like I might be onto something.

I leave her waiting in the interrogation room and head straight to the chief's office. Step one is getting him onboard with the promise I made, _if_ she can provide the information we need.

After two raps on his door, I enter the room. He's an imposing figure behind his desk with his constant harsh, serious expression—a no-nonsense type of guy.

"Chief, can I have a few minutes of your time?"

"Sure, Cullen. What can I do for you? Made any progress with the Stanley case?"

"I think I've made a huge break." He lifts a brow for me to continue. "The latest prostitute I interrogated knows something. She needs a guarantee of safety before she'll talk"

"Well, sounds like we might get our man then." He looks pleased with what I just said.

My next words need to be chosen carefully. "It does … but—" I break off.

"But what, son. Spit it out," he demands.

I rub the back of my neck. "Well, it seems she's afraid she'll be next. So I promised her we'd protect her. Um, I promised her I'd _personally_ protect her."

"And what exactly do you mean by that, Cullen?"

"I mean that I'll move her into my guest room and protect her with my life, sir," I say in the most serious voice I can.

He scratches his in chin in thought and leans back in his chair. At least he's considering the idea and didn't give me a flat out no. "Is her evidence good enough?"

"Well, sir, I haven't made it that far yet, but it's my next move. I wanted to make sure I'm not making promises I can't keep."

He leans forward and props his arms on his desk. "If her evidence is enough for an arrest, then I'll allow a witness seclusion type situation."

"Sounds good, sir. There is one other thing I need to mention. She did allude to a dirty cop." He's taken aback at that suggestion, but waits for me to go on. "She doesn't know who, just that James has someone in the department. So this needs to be a top secret deal. No other officers privy to the information of where she's being kept."

"Okay, I'll allow that, _if_ we get the evidence we need. Now go see what you can get out of her and keep me informed." With his final order, he dismisses me from the room.

As I head back to the interrogation room, I think of the implications of what I'm about to do. Can I really go through with this? Spend all my time around her, completely ignoring her constant innuendo? I take a deep breath and decide I have no choice. James Hunter has to be stopped, and I'm the man to stop him.

Breezing into the room, I come to a screeching halt. I catch Bella before she snaps her façade in place. She's vulnerable and scared. As she should be. We already have one dead girl, and I won't allow another to be added to that tally. She has to trust me and be completely honest for this to work.

"Bella."

She jumps a little at the intrusion, as if she hadn't even heard me enter. Her mask slips in place. "Detective," she drawls in that sexy voice she puts on.

"I've just had a meeting with the chief. He's agreed to my plan to keep you safe. All you have to do is tell me what you know and turn over any evidence you have," I say, hoping this won't be another argument.

"And when I do?"

"Easy. We arrest James Hunter, and then I take you to my house and show you the guest room. No one will know you're there, and he'll never be able to find you," I say confidently.

"You're just dying to get me alone, aren't you, Detective?" She crosses her legs and licks her plump lips.

"What I'm dying to do is arrest James Hunter. Now are you ready to fill me in?' I give her my best no nonsense voice, hoping she'll finally start talking.

"Well, you're no fun." She crosses her arms over her chest and huffs. "Fine."

Now we're getting somewhere. I walk over to the video equipment in the corner of the room and inform her that everything she says will be recorded. I turn the camcorder on, stating the date, time and my name and position for the record.

After walking back over to the table and sitting across from her, I begin the real interrogation. "State your name for the record."

"Isabella Dwyer, Detective, but please call me Bella," she answers through gritted teeth.

"Very well then, Bella. Could you tell me what you know about the murder of Jessica Stanley?"

"Right to the point, huh." She huffs. "Jessica and I both work for James Hunter. He's our pimp. She was mad about the raise in fees he demanded, and he killed her," she states with no emotion at all.

I'm slightly taken aback and have to gather my wits for a second. I clear my throat and push her further. "He killed her? That simple? How do you know that Mr. Hunter is responsible?"

She shrugs. "I was there," she says simply.

I almost choke on that information. "There, as in witnessed the murder?" I expected a secondhand account of information, but never a firsthand witness. This girl needs protection more than I ever imagined.

She rolls her eyes. "That's what I just said, Detective," she says in her smart-ass tone.

I sit back in my chair and revel in this information. "Okay, Bella. I'm going to need every single detail you can remember. I know it might be hard to relive, but I need the whole scene from start to finish."

She begins her tale, and I'm in shock at the picture she paints. Everything she tells is right on with the forensic information we have. The scene she describes matches perfectly with the murder scene, cause of death and even the time.

I'm disconcerted with her toneless retelling of the events and that she's willing to describe in detail everything she saw. I'm also in awe. She's trusting me with her life, and somehow I find that empowering. James Hunter will go down, and Bella will leave this life behind.

I have to do my job though, and sometimes that requires pushing harder. I believe every word she's said, but I have to be one hundred percent on this. "That's some tale you just told," I say in a disbelieving voice.

She reverts back to the Bella I've come to know and respect with that remark—arms crossed, sexy smirk in place and smartass mouth. "Detective, you asked for my story, and I gave it to you. Now if you're not going to believe me, then I have no more business here." She stands and starts for the door.

"Bella, wait. Of course I believe you," I say in a soft tone. "I just need you to be sure. There can't be any backing down. Are you sure this is the story you can hold firm with?"

She stopped when I started speaking. "Yes, I'm sure." She turns back to face me. "I can even go one farther if you'd like," she says, taking her seat.

I assume she's back to innuendo, so I immediately go to stop her, but when I raise my hands and start to speak, she interrupts me before I can even start. "Evidence, Detective, just more evidence."

"More evidence?" I perk up at the prospect. "What more could you possibly provide?"

She leans forward; starting at her thighs, she slowly runs her hands down her long, lean legs. My eyes follow involuntarily. I give my head a shake and snap back in the moment. Just when I'm about to put a stop to her display, she reaches down her boot and pulls out a small baggie. It has a shoestring or some sort of cord inside.

She holds it out for me to take. I'm confused as to why she'd be handing me a string, but I slowly raise my hand anyway with a confused look on my face.

"Detective, this is your evidence," she says as I take it in my hand. I look down at this baggie and then to her questioningly. "The murder weapon."

I almost drop it to the floor in horror. I jump up and grab my cell, making a call to the chief immediately. I notify him of what she just handed me and request he send his most trusted officer to retrieve it.

"I have more," she says quietly.

I look to her, stunned. "What do you have, Bella? Tell me, please."

She sighs. "A recording. I have a video recording of the murder."

"A video?" I can't believe this is happening. When I started this round-up, I never imagined we'd get much; it was just a place to start. Now, here I am with the murder weapon in my hand and a possible recording of the actual murder.

A knock on the door interrupts our conversation. McCarty comes in with gloves on and an evidence baggie in his hands. I carefully place the evidence in it and make sure he understands that this is classified information and no one is to know. He gives me a nod and retreats from the room.

"Can you get my things from booking?" she asks.

"I can. Are you carrying this video around with you?" I ask incredulously.

"It's on my phone, Detective. No one even knows I have it," she states like it's no big deal.

I leave the room without another word. If I speak, I might blow a gasket. Doesn't this girl have any self-preservation? I walk down to booking, using the time to cool off, and gather her things. She had thirty-seven dollars, a cell phone and a pack of gum on her when she was brought in.

Returning to the room, I sit the items in front of her on the table. She immediately goes for the phone and begins scrolling through it. After a few moments, a video starts playing and she faces the screen toward me. I sit and watch in shock and amazement. On the screen is a clear account of James Hunter strangling the life out of Jessica Stanley.

Even after the video has ended I gape at the screen. This girl watched this horrible scene in person and was brave enough to stealthily record the whole thing. Again, I'm in awe of her strength and audacity. When I saw her through the glass, I thought she wasn't like the others, and now I know for sure.

I immediately phone the chief once more and request he meet me in my office pronto. After showing the recording and him taking it for evidence, I return to Bella.

"Everything's set. Time to make an arrest," I announce as I enter the room.

"Where am I supposed to hang while you make this arrest, Detective?" She crosses her arms in a standoffish manner.

"I'm going to have you returned to the holding cell. You'll be safe there."

"Uh, no way. There're crooked cops here, and you're not leaving me a sitting duck," she protests.

She might be scared, but that's the safest place until Hunter's put away and I can take her home. "I'll have McCarty personally guard your cell the whole time." I will her to trust what I say. "You will be safe. I promise."

Her shoulders sag. "Fine." She huffs. "I have a bag, packed and ready, under my bed. Can you grab it, please?"

"I will," I vow. "Whether Hunter's there or not I'll grab your things. Just hang tight and I'll be back to get you."

"Don't keep me waiting, Detective." She smirks and winks.

I have McCarty escort her to holding and stand guard at the door.

Several hours later, with James Hunter and one of his thugs in tow, I return to the station with a skip in my step. When we busted in the place, one of his lackeys decided to take a shot at us. He'll be charged with attempted murder of a police officer. I smirk to myself, just thinking about it.

McCarty brings Bella to my office so I can transport her to the women's shelter, as far as the other officers are concerned. In reality, she'll be going to my house. When she enters the room, I can instantly see her persona take effect. "I knew you couldn't stay away long, Detective," she purrs.

I take the bait. I'm so high off this arrest I can't help but to tease back. "I couldn't." I give her my own smirk and a wink for good measure.

She's stunned silent for once. I take her arm and lead her through the precinct, putting on a show of escorting her, same as all the other girls. When we get to my car, I open the passenger door and help her inside. Once seated, she crosses her legs and gives me her own wink.

This is going to be a long drive.

After an endless drive of Bella crossing and uncrossing her legs, running her hands tantalizingly up and down her thighs and just the scent of her, we finally pull up at my house.

I walk around to open her door and feel my dick twitch when she stretches her legs out to stand. _What are you doing? She's your case, a witness, can't be much older than a child, and a prostitute to boot. Reactions like that are going to bring nothing but trouble._ I shake my head to clear it then grab her bag and lead her inside.

"You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you. Come on and I'll show you your room."

"No need. I can just share with you."

She catches me off guard, and I almost choke on my own saliva. "I don't think so. Behave."

She giggles and follows behind me.

I take her to her room and make sure she's all settled in. "I'll leave you to it. I'm going to head into my office to get some work done and go over some things. If you need me, I'll be right in there." I point to the door across the hall.

"Detective. Listen, thanks for doing this. I know it probably isn't standard protocol, so I really appreciate it." For the first time, her face is soft and relaxed. It's nice to see her this way.

I smile at her. "No problem. Thank you for being brave enough to help us, and if we're going to be living together, you should call me Edward. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Detective." She smirks and closes the door.

I head into my office knowing that this girl is going to be the death of me one way or another.

~WS~

Bella's been here for a week. The woman is a huge flirt and full of innuendo. Hell, she doesn't even need innuendo. She's downright dirty when she wants to be.

And don't even get me started on her clothing, or lack thereof.

Shorts so short I can see ass cheeks, shirts without bras or so thin they're nearly see-through. She showers and walks out afterward dripping wet and in only a small towel. I've learned to lock myself in my room or office when I hear the shower cut off. I've come too close to grabbing her and fucking her on the nearest available surface when I see her in the hall fresh from a shower.

Dad came by a few days ago and did an STD check and gave her the shot. He's checked all the girls for us, and coming here wasn't a problem. If anything, it's made her even more aggressive with her sexuality, knowing she's clean and protected. Those things haven't helped my resistance either.

This is not like me, not who I am at all. I'm a man who loves his job and goes at it with a single mindedness that can't be thrown off track. Somehow though, she has me all twisted in knots. A simple young girl is making me question my life.

Usually Bella cooks, but I'm making us dinner tonight. She's a great cook and keeps the house spotless. I didn't expect her to be so domestic, but it's a pleasant surprise. When I ask her about it she clams up. She doesn't like talking about her past. If I mention it or ask anything personal, she shuts down completely.

Bella comes down the stairs, this time in a very thin, light pink tank top, short shorts and white knee socks. My dick immediately perks up.

I sigh as I continue to cook. "I've repeatedly asked you to dress more appropriately."

She rolls her eyes. "It's not like I have many other clothes, Detective. I'm far from a nun, so I don't exactly wear turtlenecks."

"I've told you I can get you clothes. I know this isn't an ideal situation for either of us, but this is still my home, and I'd appreciate you respecting my rules by dressing less provocatively."

"Who said this isn't an ideal situation? I'm in a nice house with a hot guy. No one's trying to shove their cock in some part of me twenty-four seven … though I wouldn't mind that part too terribly much if it were you." She winks at me.

"I've also asked you to stop talking like that. Is it that difficult to talk like a lady?"

She snickers. "Detective, you don't want a lady. You might think you do, but ladies are boring. I can be as ladylike as anyone in public, but at home when it's just us, I'd much rather be your whore."

I slam down the spoon I was holding. "That's the thing, Bella; you shouldn't want the life you lead. You're smart and beautiful and so young. You can do anything. Why did you choose this life? Why do you act like this?"

Now she's glaring at me. "Get off your fucking high horse. I know you'd give your left nut to fuck me. You're just too much of a coward. You love my foul mouth and my slutty clothes. You can pretend you don't, but don't think I can't see the hard on you sport and the way your eyes linger on my body. So, yeah, I do what I do and am who I am, but at least I'm fucking honest about it."

She turns and rushes upstairs, but not before I see the tears in her eyes.

Now I feel like a bastard. She's right. I do like everything about her. Well I don't like her job, but she hasn't worked since I've met her so it's almost easy to pretend she never did it. I like how strong and independent she is. I find everything about her sexy.

That's the problem. I know nothing can ever happen, and it's driving me fucking crazy.

As far as anyone at the precinct other than the chief knows, I'm overseeing the shelter. In actuality, we have a close trusted friend of his from Seattle, Jake, guarding it.

I know we have a few more months before James' trial with the way things are going. I need to make sure I stay in control around Bella so we can both walk away unscathed. We don't fit; we can't be anything other than what we are—the cop and his witness. But that doesn't mean I can treat her this way, so I apologize the next day and she graciously accepts, pretending it's no big deal.

We then settle into a routine.

The underlying sexual tension is still there, but we both ignore it. I never mention her clothes anymore. I'm almost used to them … almost. Whacking off has become a daily occurrence, but it helps ease some of the tension her displays bring about.

I've never been much of a sleeper, so I'm awake when the knock on my door comes at three a.m. I grab my gun and tell Bella to stay put when I see her peek out of her door. Even though I know something must've happened for someone to be here at this time, it still crosses my mind how beautiful she looks with her hair a mess and eyes all bleary with sleep.

When I make it to the door, I peek through the eyehole and find McCarty. I trust him, but I'm still cautious as I open the door. I notice he has his gun at the ready too. "What the fuck's going on, McCarty?"

He's looking around. "Everything okay here, Cullen? Noticed anything?"

"No, man. Now tell me what the hell's going on!"

He visibly relaxes and walks inside. As I close the door behind him, he puts away his gun. "We didn't want to call you just in case we were compromised, so the chief sent me. The shelter was attacked tonight."

"What the fuck? What happened? Was anyone hurt?"

"Whoa, man. Everybody's okay. Jake was there and took a bullet to the leg, but he'll be okay. He did say that they were looking for Bella though."

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Damn it! Jake didn't catch him?"

"No. And nobody got a good description either. Whoever it was knew what they were doing. They were covered from head to toe, and their voice was masked."

"How does Jake know they were looking for Bella?"

Right then McCarty's eyes go wide as saucers and he focuses on something over my shoulder. I turn to see Bella. She's in her very short silky robe, and it's clear that's all she's wearing. I can't focus on that though because she looks terrified.

"Bella—"

"Someone was looking for me? Was anyone hurt? Please tell me no one was hurt because of me."

McCarty regains his composure. "The guard, Jake, was shot, but he'll be okay. We know they were looking for you because before Jake was alerted, they grabbed two of the girls and asked about you."

"But those girls are okay?" Bella looks scared to hear the answer.

"Yes, ma'am. They're just fine," McCarty reassures her.

She relaxes, but still looks devastated.

McCarty focuses on me. "Chief wants you to get your stuff together ASAP and move. He said you'll know where."

I turn to Bella. "Go and grab your stuff as quickly as you can."

She knew this was a possibility, but I'm still surprised she doesn't argue or ask a ton of questions. Instead she just turns and does as I say.

"Here," McCarty says, pulling a couple flip phones from his backpack. "These are for emergency contact with the chief."

I take the phones. "Thanks, hopefully they won't be needed."

"Yeah, man. All right, I'm going to stay until you get on the road, just to be safe," he says, his eyes glancing toward the guestroom. I know he's dying to ask about Bella, especially considering how she was dressed, but he's in full on cop mode and takes his job very seriously. I know he'll be hitting me up for info at some point though.

We quickly load up, and after a few more words with McCarty, we say our goodbyes and hit the road. The chief and I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but we made sure to have a backup plan in case anything went wrong. We have a safe house only the chief and I know about at the ready.

~WS~

The new place is much smaller than mine. We have to share a bathroom, and there's only one bedroom. This is going make trying to resist Bella hell, way worse than before.

When I show her where she'll be sleeping, she jumps on the bed and gives me a smirk. "Looks like only one bed, Detective. I guess we'll have to share."

I want to throw myself right on top of her, but instead I turn and walk to the door. "I'll take the couch. You can have the bed." I glance back long enough to see her face in an adorable pout.

Once again we settle into a routine, only this time it's much harder to hide from Bella. Being in such small quarters is forcing me to spend more time with her. Since the cabin doesn't have air conditioning, Bella's wearing even less clothing claiming she's hot … even though at times, I swear I can see goose bumps.

Now that I'm around her more, we're starting to talk and I'm finding her even more fascinating than before. I knew she was intelligent and passionate, and I may be biased, but I swear she's brilliant. She loves literature and can argue politics clearly and concisely. She often points out things about whatever we're discussing that I've never thought of. Her way of seeing things is so intriguing. I'm spellbound. It's easy to forget why we're here and how very young she is.

I glance out the window to where she's sitting on the swing with a book she's already read a dozen times. It's a rare clear day, and she has her face turned up to the sun. The light filters through her hair, highlighting the red that's only visible in the rays. Her skin is flawless, and her body is amazing.

This is so much worse than I feared.

Not only do I want to fuck her nearly every minute of every day, but I've started to care about her. I desperately want to run and get as far away from her as I can, but I can't. I'm literally stuck with her. I just know at the end of this I'm going to end up with a broken heart because she's young and still has her whole life ahead of her.

It's time to make some changes.

Over the next few days, I start distancing myself. She obviously notices and questions me several times over it. I deny every time that anything's wrong.

After a week or so of my withdrawal, she seems to have accepted it and keeps mostly to herself. She seems down though. I reason with myself that it's because of her confinement, not because she misses the closeness we were developing.

After a couple of weeks in the now near silent cabin, we get a terrible storm, one that's impossible to sleep through. After a particularly loud crack of thunder and some intense lightning, we lose power. I get up from the couch to check on Bella, only to see her standing in the kitchen with a bottle of water. I stare at her before she notices me. She's wearing only panties and a T-shirt.

Even though the storm is fierce, it's extremely muggy and hot in here. With Bella being the way she is I can't get too comfortable, so I still wear my cargo shorts and tee to sleep in.

I clear my throat.

Bella doesn't miss a chance to torture me. "Want some? It feels so good … really wet."

I pretend she just asked a simple question. "No, thanks. I'm good. I just noticed we lost power and want to check things out."

"I have a few things you can check out," she says cheekily.

I continue to ignore her innuendo. "We're out of batteries. I have no idea what happened to them all. Have you used them for something?"

She smirks. "Sorry. I did use them … for my vibrator. If you'd just give me what I want, I wouldn't need to use so many."

I've finally reached my limit. "Damn it, Bella! It's not going to happen."

She puts her hands on her hips. "Why the fuck not? Give me a real reason, because I know you want me even if you are avoiding me."

"Fine. For one, I'm a detective and you're a prostitute. For another, I'm assigned with protecting you, which strictly forbids us fraternizing, and don't forget I'm old enough to be your father!"

She takes a defiant stance and stares me in the eye. "Okay, first, I'm quitting … hell, I've already quit since I haven't worked since before I met you. Two, I'm not going to tell anyone, and really, what harm will it do to the case? And third, you can be my daddy if you want. I'll even let you spank me when I'm bad." She grins, turns around and slowly bends over, wiggling her ass at me.

It takes all my restraint to walk away.

"Come on, Edward. I was just teasing." She runs to grab my arm, stopping me. "I'm really sorry, okay? You're just fun to rile up. I don't want you mad and staying away from me anymore. I can make it up to you." She moves her hand to my chest and rubs down my stomach.

I grab her hand, stopping its descent. I want her so much, and I'm angry that I can't have her. All she does is makes things harder, so I lash out. I'm going to hurt her, but I don't care in this moment. "Look, a lot of guys would probably take you up on this, but I'm not interested in whores, Bella."

I watch her transform before my eyes. Her face goes white, and her eyes go wide. Tears well up. She yanks her hand away from me. "Fuck you, Edward. You think you're so much better than me. I may be a whore, but at least I'm not a fucking coward. I've met a lot of assholes in my life, but you've hurt me worse than any of them, and trust me, that's saying a lot."

She turns from me and runs. I think she's running toward the bedroom, but instead she heads outside. Of course I go after her. She's standing in the rain facing away from me right off the side of the house.

"Bella, get back inside!"

"Leave me alone, Detective," she sneers at me.

"You're going to get sick, and it's lightning out here."

"Damn it, I'm fine. It's not that cold, and the lightning has died down. Please"—she turns briefly to look at me with the most heartbreaking expression—"just go inside and leave me alone for a bit."

I do the opposite and walk closer to her. "I'm sorry. What I said was terrible, and I didn't mean it. I was an ass."

"No, you were right; I am a whore. No wonder you don't want me. It's okay. I've been on my own a long time and I'm good at it. Once this case is over, I'll head out of town and you won't have to deal with me again."

I start to speak but she keeps going. "I always loved the rain. I never saw much of it as a child. We tended to live places where rain was rare. So anytime it rained I begged to play in it. I always felt like it made everything clean and new again. I know it really doesn't, but some part of me still holds the hope that it does."

"You're an amazing woman. I really don't have a problem with your past. I can't say I love thinking about it, but I'm sure you have your reasons. You have to know that I care about you … more than just a case."

She turns to look at me. Her hair is plastered to her face, and her shirt is molded to her body—practically see-through. Her nipples are hard and her chest is heaving.

I look into those big brown eyes, and I can't stop myself anymore.

I lunge.

We're lips and tongue and teeth. It's wet and painful and perfect.

She clutches my shirt and pulls me as close as she can. I move one hand into her hair and pull her lips away from me, forcing her head back as I lick and kiss every inch of her neck.

She latches her hands into my hair and pries my lips from her neck, looking into my eyes, seeking assurance. As a response, my hands slide around to her ass, and with a simple lift, she jumps and locks her legs around my waist then leans her head back and forces my lips to her neck again.

Standing in the pouring rain, I make a decision. I've fought this for too long and I won't be fighting anymore. I pull away, only to march toward the house and up the front steps. I slam the front door open and hear it bang against the wall as I continue straight to the bedroom.

Once there, she releases her legs and slides down my body then rips my shirt over my head. She takes a step back and removes her own. I'm lost in the curves she's uncovered and watch as she trails her fingers over her body until she reaches her panties. She rolls them down her wet skin, baring herself to me completely.

Slowly and seductively, she sways toward me. She is a lioness and I'm her gazelle. She intends to devour me; it's in her every move. A feline ready to pounce.

She puts her hands on my bare chest and pushes me onto the bed before slowly gliding them down to the waist of my shorts. It doesn't take her nimble fingers but a second before she's encouraging me upward to slide them down my legs. She raises an eyebrow when she notices I'm going commando. I'm now as naked as she is.

"Scoot back," she orders as she climbs up the bed following me as I move to the head.

She hovers over me, just barely letting the heat from her body encase mine. I can feel my cock twitching and leaking. My hands raise and cup her tits. They're full and firm and I need to taste them.

I suck a nipple into my mouth, still wet from the rain, and roll my tongue around it. My hand is still firmly grasped onto the other, squeezing and plucking.

Bella starts to grind down on me. The feel of her slick pussy sliding over me is almost enough to make me blow my load right there. I need to feel her.

I move down to touch her bare flesh. She's slick and wet. My fingers easily find her clit and start to make tight circles. I continue my perusal and move farther down to slip one inside. I want to taste her, so I slide my hand out and bring it up coated in her juices.

Like she's reading my mind, she grabs my wet fingers and slides them along her lips, slickening them with her moisture before fusing them to my own. I use my tongue to lap up every bit of her essence. When our lips break apart, I look into her eyes to see them darker than ever. The lioness is about to consume her prey.

She raises and straddles my legs with my cock standing tall before her. She leans down and runs her tongue from the base all the way to the top before swirling around and sucking just the head in. Her mouth is warm and wet and has me ready to combust. Before too long, she lets me go with a pop.

Scooting back up, she rubs that hot, wet pussy against me one more time before rising up and engulfing me inside her tight heat.

I have to grab her hips and hold her still for a minute. Other than my hand, it's been a long time for me, and something's different with Bella. Sex is always good, but this is more than sex. I feel this connection deep in my soul … not just my body.

After I'm sure I have control, I grab Bella's hips and hold on. She's passion incarnate as she rides me. Her hips rotate, swirl and shift back and forth. Her lithe body arches on display, and I can't help but lean forward to once again take a nipple between my lips.

"Ahh, Edward. That's it, baby, suck it. Harder …"

I swap nipples and suck with a viciousness I can't help, her moans spurring me on. I don't know if I can last; she's draining me dry, pulling every last drop of sense from my mind.

"Fuck, so good. So good. Touch yourself baby. Rub that clit for me. I need to feel your pussy squeeze around me." I need her to come. I can feel the burning in my balls. "Please, Bella …"

Her hand slides down her smooth stomach to find her clit, and she tenses immediately. I get more aggressive, sucking harder and bucking my cock in and out of her as fast as I can.

This time I bite down on her nipple, hard enough to sting. She must like that because she starts to convulse around me. "That's it, Edward. Fuck, I'm coming."

I let go of her nipple and use my hands to guide her as she rides out her orgasm. Finally, I allow myself to release in long-overdue spurts inside her pussy.

After giving us both a little time to come down, I gently pull myself from her and get a towel for us to clean up. I start to grab my clothes when Bella sits up and grabs me. "Come on, Edward. Stay." She lifts the sheet.

This is when I know I should go, but I can't. She dug a hole, and I fell in head first. I've somehow let this girl crawl right under my skin. Not only is she under my protection, but she's probably almost half my age. I've learned one lesson though; age is nothing but a number, and she gets me more than any other person I've ever met.

After a slight hesitation, I toss my clothes back down and climb in. She tentatively puts her head on my chest, and I put my arm around her. "This is nice. I've never cuddled before," she says then settles in, only to fall asleep almost immediately.

I find myself slipping away quickly listening to the sounds of her breathing.

I'm not sure how long I've been asleep when I feel something engulf my cock. "Motherfuck!"

In the moonlight I see Bella raise her head. "Hi. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to wake up." She leans back down and runs her tongue around the head. I fist the sheets.

She leans up again. "You can put your hands on me. Show me how you like it." She sucks in my cock, slowly taking me all the way back in her throat. Her nose touches my pubic hair before pulling back.

She goes back down, and this time, when she comes up she drags her teeth. I fist the sheets even harder.

I almost cry out when she stops. "Edward." She waits until I'm looking at her. "I want you to put your hands in my hair and fuck. My. Mouth." She enunciates every word to be sure I understand her.

At first I gently rest my hands on her head, and she gets back to work sucking my cock. When I don't guide her head, she scrapes a little harder with her teeth. My hands automatically tighten, and I can feel her grin.

I give in and start moving her head down while raising my hips. It doesn't take long before I feel the familiar tingle. Bella cups my balls and it's over. I try to pull her head away, but she doesn't budge.

She crawls back up to me with a cheeky grin. I lean over and kiss her then arch a brow in what I hope is a seductive look. I go back in for another kiss, but am stopped when Bella places a finger across my lips.

"Sleep, Edward. We have plenty of time to play." She curls up against me, and it takes no time for me to fall back asleep.

Over the next few weeks Bella and I are insatiable. She's taught me positions I never knew were possible. I worried at first I wouldn't be able to keep up with her, since she's so much younger, but she keeps me so excited it's like I'm sixteen again. I've taught her the art of multiple orgasms and the stamina of a mature man whose sole focus is her pleasure. She's even had to take naps from being so worn out.

I've always enjoyed sex well enough, but being with Bella is a whole new experience.

We've been spending time doing other things, too. Sex is fan-fucking-tastic, but we can't do it all day every day. We spend time outside when the weather allows. Sometimes we just sit and read together. Sometimes we walk around the property. We've even spent time playing video games. Neither of us are pros, but I've found Bella is very competitive so it's fun to try to beat her.

We also work out together. Her youth makes me feel the need to keep in shape more than ever. Though watching Bella do her yoga usually leads to a completely different kind of workout.

We've spent so much time together and grown so close it's hard to imagine my life without her. In our bubble here it's easy to forget a lot of things; I still don't know her past, what Bella used to do to make money or how young she is. Hell, I don't even know her real age. She hasn't told me anything personal about her.

But reality has a way of creeping back in. I get a call from the chief one day. They've set up a date for Bella to testify. After going over a few things with him, I hang up and head to tell Bella. I find her in the kitchen making brownies.

She turns to look at me with a smile and holds out the spoon. "Wanna lick?"

I grin and shake my head. This girl is always such a flirt. "I'll pass … for now." I wink at her.

She laughs and goes back to what she's doing.

I keep things light, but this woman knows me pretty well. After she slides the brownies into the oven, she turns to look at me. "Okay spill, Detective. What's up?"

I figure it's best to be straight with her. "That was the chief on the phone. They've set up the date for you to testify."

She notably pales, and then regains her composure. She turns and starts cleaning the counters. "Well that's good, right? We've been in limbo, and at least now we have a date. Things are moving ahead." She nods her head. "This is good."

She's cleaning the same spot, scrubbing it so hard I'm surprised she hasn't taken the color off. I walk to her and mold my chest to her back then reach around and gently still her hand. I take the rag from her and wrap her in my arms.

"Baby, it's going to be okay. I promise."

She takes a shuddering breath before turning in my arms to kiss me. This kiss is slow but filled with need. It's like she is trying to become part of me through our lips. Breath is exchanged as our lips move and tongues taste.

She pulls away and takes my hand. In silence, she leads me to the bedroom. We take our time undressing each other. Once the last piece of clothing is removed, we stand before each other bare. I reach and pull her to me.

I lay her back on the bed and follow. This is different from anything we've done before. We can't get close enough to each other. Our lips can't taste or kiss enough. Our hands meet and fingers twine as I slide inside. Silence surrounds us except for the noises of our breaths and skin meeting skin. We come together in sighs and clenches, holding each other as if we never want to let go.

After our hearts have returned to normal, we lie together with her head on its favorite place, my chest. I skim my fingers along her back, and even though I hate to break this peace, we need to talk.

"When I was talking to the chief, he said they'll be sending a list of questions the prosecutor is going to ask you. They'll also want to know how you met James and possibly even how you came to work for him."

She stiffens but I continue. "I know you don't like talking about your past, but it's probably going to come up. I just wanted to warn you."

She raises her head and looks at me. "I want you to know. I've wanted to tell you for a while. I definitely want you to hear it from me and not on the stand."

She lays her head back down and starts talking. "I was born to a rather flaky mother. She moved us around a lot. It was just the two of us. She said she didn't have any other family and would never talk about my father. It was that way for years. Then when I was thirteen, she met Phil Dwyer."

Dwyer? Did the guy adopt her? Before I can think about it too much, she continues.

"Phil was quite a bit younger than her, and they had a whirlwind relationship. They married after only knowing each other for two months. But my mom was madly in love, so I was happy for her. At first things were okay." I stroke her hair hoping to soothe her.

"We moved in with Phil, but he was gone a lot since he was a minor league ball player. Then he was injured and couldn't play anymore. Things got bad from there. He became cruel. He would yell at me and punish me for the smallest things. My mother started drinking pretty heavily and got lost in her own world."

We must be getting to the worst part; her body tenses even further. I tighten my hold on her.

"By the time I was fifteen, he was physically abusive. No one seemed to notice that I had constant bruises. Then he started touching me. At first it was small things, but he got more aggressive. I started hanging out with the wrong crowd just to stay away from home."

The first tear hits my chest.

"I lost my virginity at fifteen because I wanted it to be my choice. Phil got worse, my mother continued to drink and I found sex was something that made me liked and kept me away from home."

Her words take on a robotic quality. "Finally, when I was sixteen, I was stuck at home one day and Phil attacked me. I don't really want to go into the details, but afterward I went to my mother begging her to leave. She refused. She blamed me for her husband not wanting her anymore and called me a whore."

The rage I feel for these two people I've never met is almost overpowering, but I keep myself together for Bella. Right now she just needs me to listen.

"I begged her to tell me about my dad, and all she would tell me was that he was some mistake she made in the town she was from. Then she talked about Forks and how she had to get out of there and being pregnant almost ruined things. I couldn't listen anymore so I went to my room, packed some clothes, stole what money I could find and left."

"So you ran away at sixteen?"

"Yes. I was going to try to make my way to Forks to see if I could find out anything about my father."

"And how old are you now, Bella?" I ask her quietly, needing to confirm she's over eighteen.

"I'm, um, nineteen." She looks to me under her lashes as I let out a deep sigh of relief. Of course I never expected to fall in love with a nineteen-year-old, but it's too late to go back now.

Thank God she's legal.

I give her a small smile to let her know I'm okay with it and get back to my questions. "So is Phil your adoptive father?"

"No. Um, my real name is Isabella Marie Higginbotham. I didn't want my mother or Phil to be able to find me, and I wanted a reminder of why this life is better than what I had, so I chose to go by Isabella Dwyer."

"Ah. So that's why you want to only be called Bella?"

"Exactly."

"So what happened then? How did you come to work for James?"

"I ran out of money quick enough and had no way to get a job with no ID or social security card. I met a woman named Victoria. She found me half-starved and took me in. She let me do odd jobs and stuff and live with her. I knew she didn't have an honest business, but wasn't sure what she did."

"She was a pimp?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"She preferred madam." She gives me a small grin. "She always had girls in and out of her house. But she didn't ask me to do anything for over a year. Then one night she was desperate. She had a regular client, and his normal girl wasn't able to be there for him. At this time I knew what was going on, so I volunteered to help. At first Vicky said no, but she's a business woman and agreed pretty quickly. After that, I became a regular worker, but Vicky made sure I had only the best clients.

"After a while, I was anxious to try to find out something about my dad. I talked to Vicky about it, and she said she knew someone who was headed for Forks and would take me if I wanted. She told him I was her best girl, and he promised he'd take good care of me."

"I'm guessing that was James." I wish I could kill the fucker; jail's too good for him.

"Yes. Unfortunately, James is nothing like Vicky. He's terrible, and I haven't even had a chance to look for anything regarding my mother or father since he rarely lets me out of his sight for long. That was how I was able to witness what happened to Jessica."

I take a deep breath just thinking about James having her in his clutches and decide there's one thing I need to know. "Did he ever hurt you, baby?" I ask, turning her face up so I can see her eyes.

She remains calm and sure when she replies, "Never. He had some sort of strange fixation with me. He was always telling me I reminded him of his younger sister Bree." I take a sigh of relief.

I run my fingers through her hair and consider all she's told me. I knew her name and age weren't right, or at least I suspected, but I never imagined she has a family out there that might be looking for her, one that she might also need protection from.

I hate to say it, but Jessica Stanley's murder might've been the best thing that ever happened to my Bella. Of course, that's a fucked up thought, especially coming from me, but there's no way she's ever going to be alone again if I have a say. We'll just have to keep things quiet until this case is over, then it'll be no one's business what we do.

Yeah, that's it. Just until the case is over, then she's mine.

We wake the next morning to the sun shining bright. After the revelations of last night, there's no awkwardness. The air between us is clear and I know her story. She trusts me with her whole self now, not just her body. And I intend to cherish it and her for as long as she'll let me.

Going in the kitchen, I can still smell the brownies we let burn last night. Charred chocolate lingers in the air. I get the coffee pot brewing and start on some eggs and toast—our morning usual. Bella's in the shower so I open the windows, hoping to chase some of the stench away.

When she comes in, her face is bright and happy. Marching straight over to me, she reaches up and presses her lips to mine. It's a kiss of new beginnings, I can tell in the way her lips move against mine. It's there; we both feel it. Little do we know that both our lives are about to change forever.

She pulls away. "Morning, Detective." I get a flirty smirk due to the bulge she can feel poking her. She likes that she can wind me up with just a look or a touch. Hell, I like it, too.

"Morning, sunshine." I smack her ass as she turns to go to the coffee pot.

Everything the woman does is sexual. Even getting a cup of coffee. I decide we'd better tone down the flirting and plate us both some breakfast, sitting on opposite sides of the bar. If she's close I might not be able to resist.

She sidles up to her spot with an adorable pout on her face and starts with her toast. Pulling a small piece off, she slips it into her mouth and moans lightly then licks her lips. I know she's fucking with me and my cock does too, but he can't help but rise to the bait.

I let my fork drop to the plate. "Goddamn it, woman, you're killing me here," I say in an almost begging tone. She just smirks and forks some eggs into her mouth, sliding those tines between her plump lips so seductively that I can't take it anymore.

I get up and march toward her, fully intending on making sure she knows I'm not one to be messed with. Before I can make it to her, though, I hear tires crunch on gravel and freeze immediately. "Get in the bedroom, Bella," I demand.

She jumps up, and I follow making sure to close the door behind her. I grab my spare gun from the end table and head to the front door. When I see the car parked in our drive, I become confused. Behind the driver's seat sits Whitlock, and he seems to be hesitating.

I walk out onto the porch and down the steps slowly, gun still at the ready.

He sees me coming and gets out, hands up in the air. "Hold up, Cullen. It's just me."

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I'm still cautious. This is supposed to be a place only McCarty, the chief and I know about, and McCarty's never been here.

"The chief sent me," he states, still looking afraid I might shoot him.

I relax a bit. I know if the chief sent him then he's trustworthy and it must be important. "Something happen?" I ask.

"Not yet," he answers. "Chief wants me to guard Bella so you can go meet him. He thinks the phones are tapped and wants to talk in person."

I have to wonder why he didn't send McCarty, but it must be something big to want to talk in person. Maybe we even need to move again.

"Where am I meeting him?"

"About five miles up the highway at the diner. Know the spot I'm talking about?" He motions back toward the road. I do know the spot and hope I can make it fast. Just thinking about leaving her in someone else's care has my teeth on edge.

"Come on in then. Let me introduce you." I wave him in and am ready to get this meeting over and back to Bella as fast as possible. "Bella," I call out, entering the house. She cracks the door open and peeps out. "Come out here, please."

I give her a look to let her know to behave as she saunters into the room. The girl is walking sex; she couldn't tone it down if she tried. "Yes, Detective," she says, but not saucily this time. At least she's paying attention.

"Bella, this is Officer Whitlock. He's going to sit here with you while I go to meet with the chief." She starts to look unsure so I grab both her arms and look her in the eye. "He's a friend, like McCarty. The chief wouldn't have sent him if he wasn't trustworthy." I try to be as reassuring as I can.

She glances at Whitlock and relaxes, knowing I wouldn't ever lie to her. "How long will you be gone?"

"No longer than I have to. Straight there and straight back, I promise," I assure her.

Her façade snaps in place. I haven't seen it in a while. She's tough as nails Bella now. "Well, don't keep me waiting, Detective." With a wink, she struts back to her room, closing the door behind her.

I turn to Whitlock. "There's toast, eggs and coffee in the kitchen if you're interested. I'll be back as soon as I can." I walk to the door, grab my keys off the entrance table and, with one final look to the bedroom door, walk out to the car.

As I get behind the wheel, my mind starts wondering what could possibly be up for the chief to call and impromptu meeting like this. Whitlock said the phones might be tapped, but I have a throw away kept for just these occasions. I'm pulling out the drive when that thought strikes.

I make a u-turn and head back to the cottage. No reason to leave Bella if I can just make a call. If we need to leave then we can leave right away. I pull to a stop beside Whitlock's car and climb out, headed toward the cabin when I hear Bella scream. My legs can't move fast enough. _Has somebody already found us?_

Rushing into the house, I hear Whitlock's voice. "Come on, bitch." Then a slap. "You know you want it. Might as well have one last fuck before you die."

My blood runs cold at his words. I run to the bedroom to see him straddling her while she fights with everything in her to fend him off. I charge at the bed, and with one jump, I've tumbled us both to the floor on the other side. I'm going to kill this motherfucker.

Fists land blows, and in the confined space between the bed and wall we're pretty evenly matched. I wrap my hands around his neck, hoping to choke the life out of him, when I hear the click of a bullet being loaded in the chamber. Everything stills, and I see myself looking down the barrel of my own spare pistol that was tucked in my pants.

"Ha, what now, Cullen? You think you can save that bitch? Now I'll just have to kill you both, but first I'm going to fuck her in front of you." He rises with the gun still aimed and motions for me to get up.

"Whitlock, what the fuck are you doing?" I ask in an incredulous tone, still not quite believing what I walked in on.

As I stand, I glance over at Bella. She looks frightened and oh so young. My eyes trail over to the nightstand, hoping she'll understand my intentions.

"Just doing what I'm told," he snaps at me. "When you get in debt with the wrong guy, you have to pay a price, and this is mine."

I keep his attention on me while trying to talk some sense into him. "Man, it doesn't have to be like this. James is locked-up; he can't get to you."

"He already has," is his solemn reply.

As he leads me to a chair in the corner, I figure it's my last chance. I grab the barrel of the gun, and a struggle ensues. Both of us desperately try to aim the pistol at the other.

"I was going to let you watch me fuck her, but looks like you'll just have to die now," Whitlock says with a grunt, trying to take control of the gun.

The gun points up in the air, and I have to lean my head over to get out of range. With a hard push, I twist the gun around in our hands so it's pointing toward the ground. Both of us are desperately trying to get the upper hand.

I release the gun with one hand and strike my fist into his gut over and over. It knocks the breath from him and his grip loosens. With one hard pull, I yank the gun and it comes free, but not before a loud bang erupts through the room.

I feel something slice through my upper arm, slamming me back against the wall. As soon as the pain hits, another blast breaks through the air. Everything stills. Whitlock's eyes go wide and he slumps to the floor a few feet away with a gaping hole in his chest.

Looking at him in shock, my eyes trail up to Bella. She's on the bed upon her knees, my gun raised in the air. Shock registers on her face. When the reality of what just happened settles over me, I secure the pistol and make my way to her.

The pain in my arm is constant, but I can only focus on Bella. Sliding in front of her, I slowly grab her hand and work her fingers to release the death grip she has on the gun. After discarding both weapons on the nightstand, I cup her face in my hands.

"Bella, can you hear me, baby?" I say in a soothing tone. The last thing I want is to freak her out anymore. Her T-shirt is torn at the neck, and she has a bruise forming on her cheek.

Her eyes regain focus and she zeros in on the blood dripping down my arm. "Edward, are you all right? I couldn't let him kill you," she sobs, grabbing my wound to get a closer look.

I reach up and loosen her hand and hold it in my good one. "Shh, it's okay, baby. I got you. You did good. I'm okay."

She throws her arms around me and sobs into my shoulder. We sit like that for minutes, allowing the drama of the past little while to ease from our muscles.

When she's calmed down, she leans back and takes stock of the room. Whitlock's prone body lies on the floor with a small entry wound in his upper back. There's no point in worrying over him; I already know he's dead.

Bella clasps both hands on my cheeks and looks me in the eyes. "Edward, I was so scared. I couldn't let anything happen to you. Why did you come back? You should've let him kill me. I'm not worth risking your life over." Tears are streaming down her face, and she looks so broken.

I take her face in my hands and kiss her softly on the lips. She sighs at the action. "Baby, never. I'd never let anything happen to you. I love you," I tell her earnestly. She's become my whole world. Case or no case, Bella is my everything. I can't live in a world where she doesn't exist.

Her tears only intensify. "How could you, Edward? How could you love me? I'm a whore who almost got you killed," she sobs. Then a thought strikes her. "Your wound. Let me take care of you."

I stop her from moving. "I'm fine. Just let me hold you."

She sniffs a few times and wraps her arms around me, burying her face in my neck. "I love you, Edward. More than you could ever imagine."

With her words, I breathe a sigh of relief. As long as I have her, nothing else matters—until I hear a gruff voice from the doorway. "That's nice. Now tell me what the fuck happened here!"

Both of us jump to attention at the sound of his commanding voice. I turn to face the man who approved this whole scenario and holds my job in his hands. There's no way he missed our declarations. Bella's more important that anything though. My job, this case—neither means anything if I can't have her in the end.

"Chief."

"Cullen." He gives me a small nod. "Now answer my damn question," he snaps then starts walking over to Whitlock's body, gun at the ready. He rolls him face up. Surprise registers on his face, then he feels for a pulse.

I grab Bella's hand, and we move over to the edge of the bed. I give a reassuring squeeze when we proceed to stand, ready to face whatever comes our way.

The chief sighs. "He's dead. Where in the hell is McCarty?" He stands and starts pacing. "Whitlock wasn't even supposed to know about this place."

I have no idea what went down before, so I can't really give him any answers other than what went on here. "All I know is Whitlock showed up and told me you sent him and I was supposed to meet you. After I got to the driveway, I decided to call instead and came back for one of those throw away phones we have."

"Just stop. That was the plan, but it was supposed to be McCarty that came to watch over the girl." He runs his hands over his weary face. "I thought we were getting close to the dirty cop, but apparently we were nowhere in the ball park. Whitlock wasn't even on our radar."

A loud thumping sounds. The chief snaps his arms back up, gun in hand, and follows the noise. I grab mine from the nightstand and follow with Bella right on my heels. As we move toward the front door, the thumping gets louder. When we step onto the porch, I can tell it's coming from the trunk of Whitlock's car.

With the chief covering me, I stick my gun in my waistband and take the key from the ignition. Going to the trunk, I slowly slide it in the lock and turn. What greets me makes me sag in relief. McCarty lies there, eyes wide, bound and gagged. I rush to get the gag from his mouth.

"Cullen, thank God. Where's Bella? Is she okay?" She steps into view. "Wow, you two are a sight for sore eyes."

I untie his bindings and help him from the car, the chief covering us the whole time. He takes a good look around, then his shoulders sag a bit as he walks our way.

"What the hell happened, McCarty?" the chief asks, holstering his gun.

McCarty sighs. "Whitlock overheard our talk and accosted me on my way to the car. He knocked me out cold. I just woke up in the trunk."

"Was he the only one involved?" the chief asks.

"As far as I could tell. Wait, where is he?" He looks around, taking us all in.

"Dead," I answer, anger lacing my tone.

His eyes go wide then settle on the chief. "I guess that answers the dirty cop problem."

The chief nods his head once and pulls his radio from his belt. After making a call for backup and the coroner, he suggests we walk in so I can explain exactly what happened.

After following him inside, he levels me an expectant look, so I start talking. I tell him the whole story, leaving out the declarations he heard. No reason to remind him how I might've messed this case up by sleeping with the witness.

"Wait a minute. So you're telling me the girl killed Whitlock?"

"Yes—"

Bella interrupts. "It's Bella. Not girl," she gripes.

He cuts his eyes over to her. "Excuse me, Miss Dwyer but—"

She interrupts again, only this time she crosses her arms over her chest and stares him down. "No, not Miss Dwyer," she sneers. "It's Miss Higginbotham."

The chief's eyebrows raise high into his hairline, and he studies her. His eyes take in her face very carefully, looking at each and every feature. "As in Renee Higginbotham?"

She sucks in a breath. "You know my mother?"

He doesn't answer, just asks another question. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," she answers, studying him curiously. If he knows her mother, maybe he can give her some insight on where to look for her father. He has been in Forks his whole life.

His face visibly pales with her answer then he jumps up, snapping to attention. "McCarty, you get Bella's things and take her to the new safe house."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me if you knew my mother, and I am _not_ leaving without Edward." She balls her fists at her side.

The chief takes on an air of authority. "Yes, I knew your mother. And you _will_ be leaving with McCarty. Cullen and I will catch up as soon as backup arrives." His tone says it all. Bella will be leaving with McCarty.

Bella huffs and crosses her arms over her chest before turning to me. "Edward, tell him. I don't want to leave without you. Look what happened last time we were separated." She waves her hand toward our bedroom where Whitlock's body lies.

"Bella," I say praying she'll listen. "Please, just do what the chief says. I promise McCarty's safe and will guard you with his life. I'll be right behind you." She deflates. "Please, Bella, I promise. Just do what he says."

"All right, I'll go." She walks up to me and lowers her voice. "But please hurry, Edward. I love you and need you."

I gently cup her cheek and give her a small peck on the lips. "I love you. Now go before the others get here."

McCarty follows her into the bedroom to grab a few things. I glance to the chief, his face is almost turning purple with his fists balled at his sides.

Bella and McCarty return with a small bag clutched in his hands. She gives me one last pleading look before following him out the front door.

I try to explain myself. "Chief—"

"Just shut the fuck up, Cullen!" he all but screams.

When backup arrives, the chief sets them to bandaging my wound. After the forensic crew and coroner get here, he barks orders, leaving his assistant in charge, and then demands I follow him to the car. At least we're headed to Bella now; I can finally breathe again.

When we pull onto the highway he breaks the silence. "So, Cullen. Care to tell me how you came to be fucking the witness?" His hands fist the wheel as if he might break it in two, knuckles white with the effort.

"Charlie, I—"

His fist slams the dash. "Don't you fucking Charlie me you son of a bitch."

"Sir …" I'm at a loss. I knew it might cost me my job, but I never expected him to be this irate.

Finally, after taking a few calming breaths, he speaks again, slowly this time. "Cullen, not only are you fucking our star witness in this case, but you're most likely fucking my _nineteen_-year-old daughter!" His eyes are cold and deadly.

My brain starts replaying his words, and finally comprehension sets in. Motherfucker! Not only might I lose my job, but now I might lose my life, too.

Before I can consider it too much, his harsh, authoritative voice breaks in once more. "This is what's going to happen. When we get to this house, you're going to tell Bella you have to leave her in McCarty's care, that you're recusing yourself from this case. Trial starts Monday; that's what I was meeting you for. He'll be with her every step of the way."

"Chief, don't make me leave her, please," I beg. Doesn't he understand how much she means to me?

"You can and you will," he demands. "I might not be able to order you as her"—he chokes up a bit—"father, but I sure as fuck can as your commanding officer." He cuts his eyes to me, and the meaning is clear. He doesn't want me anywhere near his possible daughter.

"Are. We. Clear. Detective?"

"Yes, sir." As I reply, I'm already planning my defiance. I've always respected the chief, but even he won't keep me from Bella, father or not.

I promised I'd protect her with my life, and that's what I intend to do.

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**Thank you so much to everyone involved in the contest; hosts, judges, validators, banner makers, blinkie makers, secret keeper, all of the other authors and most of all to you the readers who made it so successful! **

**Chapter 2 is written and hoping to be beta'd soon :) See you then!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to the amazing kitchmill for agreeing to beta this! Thanks to Mana Liz and Judyblue95 for their pre-reading awesomeness.**

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**EPOV**

As we pull up to the house, Bella is looking out the window. It kills me that I won't be staying by her side, but I won't be far no matter what the chief says.

Charlie turns to look at me. "Cullen, you're going to tell that girl you're off the case and assure her that McCarty can keep her safe." He raises his finger and jabs it in my chest. "And you're not going to say one word about me possibly being her father. Are we clear?"

I brought this on myself by going against every procedure we have, but I still can't help being pissed at him for separating me from Bella, especially when it's going to hurt her. I give him a slight nod. "We're clear." I exit the car before I say anything that may lead to worse than getting kicked off this case.

Bella flings the door open and runs to meet me, even though McCarty's trying to hold her back. _Good luck with that._ My girl isn't one to be tamed and gets what she wants. When she reaches me, she immediately goes to my arm, fussing and checking to make sure it's been tended to.

I grab her hands and hold them in mine. "Bella, it's fine. I told you it wasn't anything to worry about." Just looking at her again makes me smile.

She sags in relief and hugs me, holding on tight. "I was scared you wouldn't be able to come," she whispers in my ear.

I return her affection because I can't do anything else. "Of course I came," I respond quietly. I know McCarty will die for her, but he's not me and it's going to kill me to leave her, even if for just a little while.

The chief is glaring, so I usher us inside before he can say anything. No need to make things worse right now. We take a seat, with Bella sitting as close to me as possible. I need to tell her what's happened, but I just can't make myself get the words out. The chief seems to want to speak first anyway.

"So, Miss Higginbotham, can you tell me about yourself please? I'd like to know what to expect before you get on the stand."

My girl sits back and crosses her arms over her chest. "It's Bella, and first I want to know how you know my mother."

The chief stares Bella down at her attempt to flip the questioning onto him. "Now listen here, young lady. The trial starts Monday. It's my job to make sure you're ready since I won't tell anyone else your location. So you're going to answer my questions first, got it?"

She looks to me, wanting to continue arguing, but I lightly shake my head. She does need to be prepared for the trial, and resisting the chief will only piss him off more. She narrows her eyes, and if looks could kill he'd be a dead man. "Fine," she says through gritted teeth.

Bella gives a very condensed version of what she told me: she ran away from home, she met up with James, he kept her close, she witnessed the murder.

"You're only nineteen years old?" he asks, even though he knows the answer.

She nods. "I am."

"Sounds like you've been on the street for a while. Is there a reason you left home so young?"

"There is."

The chief waits for her to elaborate, but she doesn't. He finally tires and presses her further. "Well?"

"Well what? Why I left home has no bearing on this case. That was years before this murder."

He knows she's right, but he wants information about what led her here. "I understand that, Miss Higginbotham, but the defense attorney can be tricky and this might make an appearance in the cross examination."

"Excuse me, Mr. …" She pauses for him to answer.

"Swan."

She leans forward to make direct eye contact. "Well, Mr. Swan, I think the defense attorney couldn't care less about why I left home at sixteen. I think he'll be more determined to discredit the video of the murder that I recorded. I think this is _you_ trying to find out more information than you have a right to know. So if you could just stick to the relevant stuff, we'll get along just fine."

With a disgruntled shake of his head, he gets back he gets back on track with his questions—her past on the street, living with James, working for him … everything she'll be asked at trial—all the while trying to extract as much information as he can.

I want to be pissed at him for not telling her who he thinks he is. She has a right to know. At the same time I don't want her being told anything unless he's sure.

Finally his questions come to an end just around the time Bella reaches her limit. Her face is red, her hands are fisted and her body is one tight coil. The man is definitely not getting off on the right foot if she really does end up being his daughter.

"Now, I've answered all your questions. It's my turn." She sits forward and lifts a brow.

"It's been a long day and there's still plenty to go over. We can discuss that kind of stuff later." Charlie closes his notepad and shoves his pen in a pocket.

"Bullshit! I've sat here and answered everything you asked except the stuff that has no importance to this case. I've been patient. Now I want you to answer my questions, and I'm not doing anything else until you do."

McCarty and I look between Charlie and Bella, wondering which one of them might win this standoff.

The chief takes a deep breath and sits back. "Fine. I'll answer a few questions, but I can't promise to have all the answers you're looking for."

"You knew my mother?"

"Yes."

"Did you know her well?"

"I think so." He sighs. "As well as anyone could know Renee."

"Did you know her family?"

"I did."

Bella sits up straighter. "Are they still around?"

"No. Renee's parents are both dead, and as far as I know there wasn't any other family."

It takes Bella a minute to process that before she asks her next question. "Do you have any idea who she was with twenty years ago? Who my father could be?"

Charlie clears his throat and looks down. For someone I know to be a damn good liar, he sure looks guilty as fuck. "Uh, I'm not really sure. Why? Did your mom ever tell you anything about him?"

Bella's face is resigned and her body sags, so I scoot closer. I'm inviting more trouble with Charlie, but my girl needs me. She shakes her head. "She refused to tell me anything. She never told me a name. Until the day I left she'd never even told me where she was from. I used to ask her, but she always refused."

He scrubs his hands over his face. "Well, I'll think back and maybe after the trial we can sit down and talk again. I can even take you around to where she used to live if you want."

She feigns nonchalance, even though finding out about where she came from means everything to her.". "Yeah, maybe. Thanks."

The chief stands and looks to me, indicating it's time for me to have my own talk with her. "McCarty, I need to speak with you." Without waiting for an answer, he walks out the door.

McCarty looks at me with a shrug and follows.

As soon as they're out the door Bella jumps at me, kissing me fiercely. For a minute I let everything else disappear and focus only on her and the feel of her lips on mine. With the taste of her spurring me on, I could devour her.

For minutes we remain in our spots, wrapped up as one, exploring our togetherness once again. It's going to break us in two when I tell her my news. Those thoughts crashing over me make me slow it down and pull back. We still cling to each other like a lifeline, forehead to forehead, arms wrapped pulling each other close.

"When are they leaving? I need you to fuck me. I need you buried deep inside me pounding me so hard that I forget everything that happened today."

The mental images flashing from her words are almost more than I can bear. It's time. I have to tell her I'm not staying … at least not as far as anyone knows.

I disentangle us and move back to give us space. This is going to hurt us both. She might not even want me around after I'm done. The confusion is clear, as her look implores me to explain.

Before I can say anything, the door opens and the chief comes back in. "Have you told her yet, Cullen?"

I sigh. "Not yet."

"Well, get to it."

Bella glares at Charlie then turns to me. "Tell me what?"

I gulp. Then I decide to just get it over with. I grab her hands and hold them between us, daring the chief to open his mouth. "Bella, I'm off this case. McCarty's staying here to watch over you."

She blinks rapidly, considering my words. "Okaaay," she drags out.

I cup her cheek. "Baby, that means I won't be here with you."

She snatches her face away from my hand and stands up. Pacing back and forth, she starts mumbling to herself.

Abruptly, she turns and marches up to the chief, poking her finger in his chest. "You did this! You did this and you fix it … _now_!"

My cock takes notice of her fierceness. Before allowing those feelings to flourish, I intervene. Walking over to them slowly, I place my hand on Bella's arm and try to put some distance between them.

She turns her ire on me. "How could you? How could you let this happen, Edward?" Her posture is tense. Like a tigress, she's about to leap. I'm going to have to do something … and fast.

"Bella"—I grab her hands—"please calm down. You know this isn't what I want, but it has to be this way. We broke the rules, and that has far reaching consequences. This is for the best, just until after the trial."

Her whole body sags in place. Defeated. "Just go."

"Bella, I can't. Not with you upset like this. I'm sorry; it has to be this way though."

"Did you hear me?" Her voice rises. "I said get out!" she practically screams, looking between the two of us.

The chief starts for the door, but stops and looks to Bella. "I am sorry, Miss Higginbotham, but this is how it has to be."

She crosses her arms and turns her back on us. I approach slowly and lay my hands on her shoulders. She doesn't speak, but I feel her shaking, either from anger or sadness, maybe both.

Leaning closer, I place a light kiss on her teary cheek. "I'm sorry, Bella."

I turn and walk out the door, running into McCarty on the porch. "Man, promise me you'll guard her with everything you have, please."

"On my life, man," he vows.

"You'll see me again … soon," I say.

"No, Cullen. I won't. You need to stay away. For the sake of this case."

"I can't," I tell him before going down the steps to join the chief in the car.

Driving away and leaving her is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. She needs me more now than ever. Or is it the other way around? Maybe I'm the one who needs her.

"Cullen, I'm going to drop you by your house, and I expect to see you in my office in an hour. For what it's worth, I am sorry, but you brought this on yourself by getting involved with a witness."

I sigh. "Yes, sir."

He's right, but he's also allowing his possible relationship with Bella to drive his reactions. And, yeah, maybe he is her father, but where was he when she was working the streets? I'd like to think that _I_ saved her from that, so he should be grateful, not trying to rip us apart.

Entering my home feels strange. Last time I was here, Bella was in the guest room slinging innuendo at every turn. Now it's just silent and depressing. I've always loved my place and found peace here, but today it's only lonely.

After a shower, a fresh change of clothes and a bowl of cheerios, I make my way to the station and straight to the chief's office. Not even bothering to knock, I enter the room where I find him sitting behind his desk filling out paperwork.

His head snaps up at my abrupt entrance. "Cullen, I know you're pissed, but you will show me respect," he says with the harshness I'm accustomed to.

I just nod. I am pissed, but he's my boss so I need to keep my attitude in check. Trying to change the subject, I get down to business. "So, what's the game plan?"

He sits back in his chair and studies me for a second before deciding to speak. Pointing to the paperwork on his desk, he begins, "This here's the report for the shooting." I raise my brows. It's unusual for the chief to bother with a report. "I've already filled it out and want to go over what it says with you before I file it. Not that I intend on changing anything in it."

With no clue what he could mean by that, I just sit there and wait for him to continue. "Every detail contained here is exactly as described … except for one." He taps his fingers on the stack of papers.

"What's that, sir? I can't imagine anything needed to be changed or left out; it was a clear case of self-defense."

He sighs and reaches up to swipe his hand down his mustache. Any time he makes a hard call, one he isn't sure is the right one, he does that very same thing. I've seen it countless times. When he finally does speak, he says the last thing I ever expected. "I made you the shooter."

I stare at him trying to work out his words in my head. He made me the shooter? I spin that around a few times, just to see how it feels, but it doesn't make sense. There wasn't anything to question, no matter who actually killed Whitlock.

"Why?" I ask. This better be damn good.

"Cullen, so far this whole case is dependent on Bella. She's the star witness, she's who took the video and now she's who killed the dirty cop. All of the evidence for this case is wrapped around one person. I'd like to involve a more upstanding witness at least on this one aspect. Add credibility. Even if they question everything about her, and the defense will trash her simply because of her profession, they can't twist Whitlock working for James if I name you the shooter. With her, it can be spun as another part of her evil plan to take James down. And they will do anything to get a not guilty verdict. It's going to be hard enough on her as it is; I don't want to add this shooting to the list of things she has to contend with publicly."

I deflate. That might be the longest speech the chief has ever made, and he's right. His reasoning might be more about protecting Bella than the case, but he got his point across loud and clear. We're in agreement on that one hundred percent. If only he could see how much better off she'd be with me by her side right now.

"You're right, Chief. It's better for everybody that my name goes on that report."

"Oh, that was a done deal, Cullen. This was just a courtesy chat."

Well that settles that. Time to move on to my demands. "There is one more matter I'd like to discuss."

He motions for me to continue. "By all means."

"I want James in an interrogation room. Today, right now actually. I have some things I'd like to make clear." I cross my arms over my chest. This is something I don't intend to back down from.

"All right." I do a double take, but he continues without even acknowledging my shock. "But I'm warning you now, if you mess this case up I'll transfer your ass to Florida!" He scratches his chin. "No, that threat might not be big enough." Looking me dead in the eyes, he says, "I'll put Bella in the Witness Protection program if you fuck this up."

Holy fuck. He's not playing around. I give him a curt nod and rise from my chair. Before exiting, I say one last thing. "You know that would take her from you, too?"

His head moves up and down. "It does, but it also means that I know you won't risk it. Keep a cool head, Cullen."

He's right. Time to put my game face on.

I take a few minutes in my office thinking over the upcoming interrogation while James is brought to the room. I let him sweat for a bit and make a call home. I haven't seen or spoken to my family in months, and it's about time I do.

The other end is picked up before the first ring is completed. "Edward, is that you?"

"Yeah, Mom, it's me."

"Carlisle, come quick, Edward's on the phone. Our boy has finally called!" she yells through the line.

"Mom, calm down. You knew I was working." I chuckle at her exuberance.

"I know, son, but it's so good to hear your voice. Here, let me put you on speaker."

"Edward, good to hear from you, son," my dad says.

"Same here, Dad, same here. So listen, I'm in town for a little bit and free, so I was hoping you'd want to have dinner or something. I know it's short notice—"

"Nonsense," Mom breaks in. "What time are you free?"

"I have a few things to take care of here at the station, but I should be done in a couple hours. How does eight sound?"

"Perfect. Can't wait to see you. Our usual place?" Mom asks.

"Sounds good. See you then. Love you both."

Dad speaks up. "We love you, too, son. See you in a bit."

I hang up the phone, smiling. That felt so good, talking to my parents and making plans to see them. Maybe Alice will be able to make it, too. If I know Mom, she's on the phone with her now.

Cracking my knuckles, I make my way out the door and to the interrogation room. Seeing James through the window makes me want to pummel him for the things he's done. But not this time. This time I intend to get in his head, make him sweat. Let him know he has no one on the outside anymore.

When I enter the room, his head jerks in my direction and a slow smirk crosses his features. I give him my own arrogant grin and casually take a seat across from him.

"Cullen, come to deliver the news?" He sits back in his chair looking as smug as his slimy face will allow.

"I don't know. Depends on what news you're referring to." I shrug.

"Maybe you came to tell me that a certain star witness won't make it to testify. Maybe you'll try to get me to confess some shit to make your case stick without her."

My fists clench under the table. How fucking dare he? He thinks Whitlock got the job done. Well I've got news for him and can't wait to see the look on his face. Maybe I'll play with him a little first.

I laugh, and it's not one that means anything's funny. It's dark and menacing. "I don't need your confessions, Hunter. Bella gave us way more than we ever hoped. Her testimony is just a formality, some emotion to show the jurors. It's already been videotaped, just like the murder itself."

His face pales.

"Oh, your attorney hasn't told you yet?" Now I really laugh. "Hunter, we have you strangling the life out of Jessica Stanley live and in color."

He jumps up from his seat, all composure gone. "You're lying! You just want a confession! It's not happening, Cullen."

I hold my hands up trying to placate him. No need to end this now; I want him to burn by the time I'm through with him. "Okay, easy. Let's talk about something else."

He slowly takes his seat again. "Shoot. What could you possibly want to talk about now?"

I answer him with one word. "Bree."

His eyes glaze over and a far-away look takes over his face. Then he snaps back in the moment focusing on me. "What about her?"

"I did some checking and see she died when you were teenagers. It was ruled as an accident, but the report clearly states that her brake lines were severed. What do you know about that?"

He laughs, and it takes on a maniacal quality, almost possessed and uncontrollable. "Are you trying to accuse me, Cullen? Find something else to pin on me since you know this trial is going nowhere?"

"I'm not concerned with this trial. I know you'll be put away where you belong," I state calmly and confidently.

All emotion drains from his features. "That bitch will never cross me again."

I knew it! He murdered his sister, too. "Is that why you kept Bella so close? She reminded you of Bree?"

"Even more so now." He chuckles. "The same fate for both, after their betrayals."

My whole body is tense and ready to pounce, but I hold firm and allow myself the time to calm down. Bella's not dead; she's just not under my watch. She's alive. I keep repeating this until my muscles relax. It's time to play my ace.

"No, Hunter, you're wrong. Not the same fate at all. Bella is alive and well. It's your minion Whitlock that is no longer of this Earth." My voice is steely and determined. He has no choice but to hear my words and know they are indeed fact.

He jumps and reaches for me, but his shackles bring him up short. "I'm going to kill you, Cullen! You and that whore! You're dead, both of you!"

He continues screaming threats and obscenities as I walk to the door and call for the guards. After they have him subdued, I walk over and lean my lips up close to his ear and whisper so only he can hear. "And I wasn't lying. There _is_ a video. Ask your lawyer." I turn and stroll from the room, leaving him screaming and thrashing behind me, feeling lighter already.

At seven thirty, I shut the lights off and head out to meet my parents for dinner. I've missed seeing and talking to them, so this should be an amazing night. One last thing to take care of before heading back to Bella.

I didn't get a chance to let her in on my plan, so hopefully she'll still appreciate my surprise appearance. She was hurt when I left, but surely she'll be happy when she sees that we can still be together. We just have to keep it from the chief.

I pull up to Newton's at a few minutes before eight and already see Dad's car. Parked right next to it is Alice's yellow Beetle. Good, she was able to make it. By the time I'm walking in the door, she's already calling my name as if I wouldn't know where they were sitting. It's only been our regular table since we started coming here.

Alice is up and making her way to me in a flash. She wraps me in a warm hug before grabbing my arm for an escort to the table. I can't help but wince when her fingers wrap around the bullet graze on my arm. She notices and loosens her grip, but not without a look to let me know there will be an inquisition.

When we reach the table, Mom is out of her seat and hugging me before I can speak. Just her smell is enough to soothe my soul. Even at thirty-five, it still feels good to be in her arms. When she pulls back, I give Dad a firm handshake.

"Welcome home, son." And damn it if he doesn't give my sore arm a couple of firm pats right on my wound.

Another wince and everybody notices. Well, no time like the present.

"Let's sit and I'll explain since it's obvious," I say, motioning to our table.

Since Dad gave Bella her physical, he has some idea of where I've been, but not the whole story. So I start from the beginning. I tell them as much as I can while still keeping the integrity of the case. The trial starts Monday, so a lot of it will become public knowledge anyway.

Mom interrupts after she realizes where I've been. "You've been guarding a prostitute this whole time? Poor dear, I had no idea."

I bristle at her patronizing tone, but it's just her way. It might be hard for her to understand the things that would push a woman to such lengths. She was born into a wealthy family and never wanted for anything.

I give her a slight nod and continue. They all sit quietly and listen, even though I can tell Alice has a million and one questions. She's sitting on her hands bouncing in her seat, but waiting patiently for me to finish. My mother gasps when I get to the part about Whitlock and jumps up, coming around the table trying to pull my sleeve up.

I stop her progress. "Mom, I'm okay. It was a clean shot, barely a graze." I'm not exactly telling the truth, but it's nothing to worry about, as long as they aren't squeezing or smacking it.

"Fine." She huffs, walking back to her seat. "But you will let your father look at it, and that isn't negotiable."

I look to Dad. "I'm fine with that, if you have time one day this week?"

He nods.

Alice, no longer able to keep her questions at bay, starts up. "So, let me get this straight. You've spent the last couple of months in seclusion with a young prostitute?"

"Well—"

She plows right on, not caring about my answer. "And you killed someone to protect said prostitute?"

"Hold up, Alice, let me speak. Yes, I've been guarding a _witness. _One who _used_ to be a prostitute. And yes, someone came to kill her, so I had no choice."

"Well if you're here now, where is she?" She gasps. "Did he kill her?"

I shake my head. "No, Ali. She's not dead. Someone else is guarding her until Monday when the trial starts."

She sits there looking pensive before giving a slight hmph. "Well, I don't understand why you wouldn't still be protecting her then. You saved her, which was your job."

I nod. "It was."

"Then why is someone else with her now?"

I don't know how to answer this. I love Bella and she will be a part of my life, but it means so much to this case that our relationship not get out. I can trust my family, but I don't think now is the time to share the reasons. I will tell them, but it'll be when I can be with Bella freely.

"Don't worry about it, Alice. The only thing that matters is that she's safe and she's going to help us put this murderer behind bars. Now, why don't you fill me in on what's been going on with all of you while I've been away?" I say firmly, making it clear the subject is dropped.

While we eat, my family shares some stories. It's great to just sit and spend some time with them. I learn that Alice's boutique is opening next month and Dad has started doing volunteer work at the shelter. At least one Saturday a month, he takes the day to go over and see the women there who need him.

After the bill is paid, we walk together to our cars. I kiss my mom on the cheek and she hugs me, being careful of my arm.

"I missed you. I'm so glad you're okay, my sweet boy." Her eyes are glassy with emotion.

"I missed you too, Mom. I love you."

With one more hug, she gets in the car and my dad shuts the door behind her.

"I'll call you tomorrow to set up a time to take a look at that arm," Dad says, walking around the car.

"Sounds good." I grin.

He also gives me a hug before climbing in the driver's seat. Alice and I give them one last wave as they pull out of the lot.

"So …" Alice takes my uninjured arm and starts dragging me toward her car.

"So what, Ali?"

"So, do you want to tell me what's really going on with you?"

When we reach the car, I open her door. "Nothing's going on, little sister. I'm just glad to be back and spend some time with my family. I missed you."

She snorts. "Right. Okay, I'll let it go for now, but I'm definitely getting a vibe from you that something's different." She raises a brow.

I just shake my head. "I love you and will see you again soon." I lean down and give her kiss on her forehead. After she gets in, I close the door behind her. I stand there until she pulls out into the road before I make my way to my car.

Time to go home, pack a bag and get back to Bella.

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**Next up we hear from Bella :) Hope this lived up to your expectations for chapter 2! See you as soon as we can.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to the always amazing kitchmill for agreeing to beta this! We know she's busy and we so appreciate her taking time for us. Also thanks to Judyblue95 and Mana Liz for being our wonderful pre-readers.**

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**BPOV**

The silence is deafening as we drive away from the scene, my mind going a million miles a minute. I just killed a man. And now I'm being separated from Edward, the person I trust most in my life.

I take in the man driving the car, Officer McCarty. He's an imposing guy with a serious expression and a big, beefy build. When he notices me looking, his face softens and the slight hint of the dimples that are hiding under his tough demeanor appear. He's a nice looking man, one who I'd have gladly fucked … before.

Before Edward. His deep, green eyes held passion and want, but it wasn't for me, it was for an arrest his instincts told him I could give. Sure I pursued him relentlessly, but what did he expect? I'm used to fucks only concerned with themselves. Just seeing his reactions to my overtures told me all I needed to know. The women in his life had been stupid bitches who could've never appreciated him like he deserved. He might've begun as just a detective looking for evidence, but from the moment he walked through that door, I knew I'd have him. I just never imagined I'd get to keep him.

And maybe I won't.

The chief may never bring him back. It could've all been a ruse to pull us apart, but I trust Edward with my life, and if he trusts Officer McCarty and even the chief, then I have no choice but to trust them, too. I know he'd never intentionally put me in harm's way.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

I sit here fuming, listening to the sound of the car as it gets farther and farther away. He's gone. He simply left with no argument whatsoever. I'm pissed beyond belief and not quite sure who deserves my anger most. On the one hand I _know _the chief is responsible, but on the other it's Edward who made promises to me.

I pick up the closest thing and sling it across the room. The remote control shatters against the wall in front of me.

"Hey, hey." Strong arms encircle my waist and grip me firmly. My body sags and allows him to support my weight while the tears start pouring from my eyes. "Shhh, it's okay, I've got you."

I snatch away. "No! Don't you fucking touch me!" I shove him hard, but his body stands firm. My fists start pummeling, and he just stands there absorbing every bit of my anger. When I have nothing left in me, I sag in defeat. "I'm sorry."

"No need, Miss Higginbotham. It's my job." He gives me a slightly dimpled smile and motions to the couch. "Take a seat and let's have a chat."

I want to refuse, but this guy just let me wail on him and something about him seems genuinely caring.

"Miss Higgin—"

I cut him off. "Please, call me Bella."

He smiles and those dimples make a real appearance. "Only if you'll call me Emmett. I know you're upset and it's been a rough day. I'm sorry about that."

"Thanks. So, Emmett, what would you like to chat about?" I lean back against the couch and give him a hard stare, trying to figure him out. "I don't think you want to fuck me like most guys do, and I see that wedding ring on your finger … not that those really mean much, but something tells me yours does. Edward told me your wife runs the shelter, so she's probably been through some stuff. What does she think about you being here … with me?"

"She knows who I'm with and what I'm doing. She also knows she has nothing to worry about."

I smirk at him. "Ahh, so you're pussy whipped."

He laughs, but doesn't seem offended or even surprised at what I've said. "She's an amazing woman. And yes, I take my vows to her very seriously. If I didn't she'd have my balls. You remind me a bit of my wife when we first met, which is why I think we're going to get along just fine, Bella."

"I think I'd like to meet her sometime then." Anyone who can put fear, devotion and love in this huge man is good in my book. Something tells me she definitely wears the pants in their house. Plus, she's helped a lot of girls off the streets, so that alone makes her a pretty special person already.

"I'll have to arrange that after the trial."

"Maybe we could all hang out together, Edward and I plus you two." Even though I'm upset with Edward I know things will settle down after the trial.

Emmett clears his throat and breaks me out of my happy little daydream. "Listen, about Edward, I believe he's going to be coming back here tonight."

My eyes narrow. "You're wrong. He told me he couldn't stay. That's why I'm so upset."

"Well I'm pretty sure he's going to come back, and I hate to say this, but you shouldn't let him stay."

"Why the fuck not?" I stand up.

"Settle down. Listen"—he holds his hands up in a placating manner so I sit back down, but I'm definitely not happy with what he's saying—"Bella, I've known Edward for a while. The man is totally dedicated to his career. I've never heard him mention women or friends."

"I know he loves his job."

"Nah. I love my job. Edward is obsessed with his. He loves his family, hangs out with the guys and even my wife and me on occasion, but this job has been number one since I've known him. Honestly, I don't think it's good for a man to be so focused on his job, but to Edward it's more than a job. It's his life."

"Okay, I get that, but what does that have to do with him not staying with me? You wouldn't tell anyone, would you? No one would have to know." I get up and start pacing, no longer able to sit still.

He looks at me with what can only be sympathy. "I guarantee it won't be that easy. He _will_ get caught if he's here. And if he gets caught, he _will_ lose his job."

"But that's not fair." I stomp my foot acting like the teenager I am.

"I'm sure it doesn't seem fair to you, but Edward did break the rules. He knew what would happen if he got involved with you, but you seem to have wormed your way into his heart. He's not thinking of his job right now, and I know if he loses it, he'll regret it. That's why you need to make sure he stays away until after the trial."

I sit back down, suddenly exhausted. "But it's just a job, right? Yeah, he loves it and is good at it, but it can't be that important, can it?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"For a guy like Edward it's huge. He loves helping people and putting criminals behind bars. It's what he lives for, and he's damn good at it. When he catches a scent, he goes after it and no matter what it takes he manages to get his man."

"But if he's that good, then it shouldn't matter what or who he does outside of work. I don't really understand why it matters if he's here. No one has to know we're together."

"If the defense learns about it they can use it to help their case. It would ruin his credibility, not just for this case but for a lot of others."

I stay silent chewing over everything Emmett's just said. I want Edward with me but I don't want him to quit or lose his job. Maybe Emmett's right; I need to make sure Edward stays away until after the trial. I owe it to him to not let him lose his career over me and what we have. I'll still be here after this trial is over.

Finally I speak. "Okay, if he comes I'll just tell him we need to stay apart until after the trial."

Emmett leans forward and runs his hands through his hair in a move that reminds me of Edward, which makes my heart ache even more. "It won't be that easy. You know he's a stubborn bastard. He's not going to agree. He'll think he can work around getting caught, and it won't work. He'll just end up quitting, and even then he'll still be banned from seeing you since you're a witness under protection."

"Damn it, you're right. What do I do?"

"I can't tell you what to do. That's a decision you need to make yourself, but I'm sure you'll do the right thing. Like I said, you remind me a bit of my wife, and even though she can be a ball buster, she's also the best person I know. Trust me, I'm giving you a huge compliment." He leans over and pats my leg in a brotherly way. "Now, I'm going to see what we have in the kitchen and whip us up something."

After he's out of the room I curl up in the big chair and look out into the backyard. There's not much to see here, but my mind's so occupied I'm not really interested in the view anyway.

Emmett's right. I'm going to have to do something to make Edward leave. He made me a promise, and after what Emmett said, I have no doubt Edward will keep that promise if I let him.

By the time Emmett calls me in to eat, I know what I have to do.

Dinner is quiet, and thankfully he knows I have a lot on my mind so he doesn't press or try to make conversation. Afterwards, I insist on cleaning up and then head off to shower. I'm just getting dressed when I hear a car. It's Edward. I steel my resolve and head out to meet him.

I get there just as Emmett's letting him in. "I told you to stay away, man."

Edward glares at Emmett. "You know I can't do that." He spots me and comes rushing over, "Bella …"

I back away before he can touch me. "What are you doing here, Edward?"

He stops and smiles. "I came back. I'm sorry I didn't get to fill you in on my plan earlier, baby, but you should've known I wouldn't let anyone keep me away from you."

He reaches for me, and again I step away. "You shouldn't have come back. You need to go."

"What? No. I'm not going anywhere. I know you're pissed at me for earlier, but I never planned to actually stay away from you."

"Look, you need to go. If you get caught here you'll probably lose your job."

"Don't worry about that. I won't get caught, and if I do it'll be okay. You're more important." He gives me a tender smile that makes my heart ache. I just want to rush into his arms, but I need to stay strong.

"I don't want you here."

"What are you talking about?"

"Since you left, I've had some time to think and decided that when this trial is over, I'm leaving town. It was fun while it lasted."

He chuckles. "Don't be ridiculous. You're not going anywhere." He grabs my hands and pulls me to him. I let him hold me for a brief second before pulling away.

"It was fun. You made being hidden much better than it should've been and I appreciate that, but it's over. Emmett will keep me safe until the trial is over. Now, please go."

"No! I'm not leaving. This isn't you. You love me. I know you do."

I turn away from him, since I can't look at him and say what I need to. "I don't love you, Edward. I don't know how. I fuck. And you're a good guy who's been nice to me so I let you, but there's no love." I turn back around and raise my voice. "Now get the hell out of here!"

I walk away from him. His footsteps move closer, but Emmett intervenes. "Listen, Edward, just go for now. I promise I'll keep her safe. I swear it. It's been a long day for everyone, and maybe you should back off before things get out of hand."

"Fine. I'll go for now"—he raises his voice to be sure I hear him clearly—"but this isn't over. I don't know what the fuck's happened, but something's going on."

He moves so close that his heat encases my back, his mouth next to my ear. "I love you, Bella. Be safe." Then he places a kiss to the top of my head. Several seconds later I hear the door slam.

When there's another body behind me, I know it isn't Edward. He places his hand gently on my shoulder. "He's gone." I turn around and break down in his arms for the second time today.

When I'm all cried out and more exhausted than I can ever remember feeling, I pull back. "I think I'm going to turn in. Thanks for everything." I kiss his cheek and retire to my room.

I'm so tired, but I spend the night tossing and turning restlessly not able to shut my thoughts off. I have so many things running through my mind: Edward, the trial, what will happen after the trial … I'm still awake when there's a knock on the front door early Saturday.

I worry that it's Edward. At the moment I'm just too tired and don't have the strength to reject him again. I crack my door open and don't know if I should feel relieved or upset when I hear it's Chief Swan.

I quietly close my door and get dressed. I'm pulling on my shirt when Emmett knocks. "Bella, Chief is here, and he'd like to talk to you again."

"Okay. I'll be out in a few." I finish getting ready for the day before going out to see what Swan wants.

As I pull open my bedroom door, I'm thrilled when the smell of coffee hits me. I'm definitely going to need some after my long, sleepless night.

I head straight into the kitchen to grab a cup before facing whatever that man wants this morning. With my black coffee in hand, I head in to the living room. Emmett is gone and Swan is sitting on the couch. I take the chair, not wanting to be near him.

I stay quiet. He's going to have to make any conversation since I have no desire to talk to him.

He clears his throat. "Miss Higginbotham, there are a few more things I'd like to go over with you, but first I'd like to go over the questions you need to be prepared for at the trial."

"Fine." I sit back and wait for him to start.

We go over the same shit we've already been over, but I know, from talking to Emmett, that this _is_ important, even if it doesn't seem like it to me. I answer everything the same as I had, with the truth. I still refuse any questions he tries to sneak in that seem to pry too much and hold no bearing on the shit I'm testifying about.

After that headache is over, he leans forward. "Now, there are a few new things we need to go over."

I heave a sigh and hop up. "I'm going to need more coffee." I notice his mug is empty, but that isn't my problem.

I come back with a new steaming cup and take my seat. "So what else is there to go over?"

"Emmett will be with you the whole time you're at the courthouse. We know you're one of the first witnesses that will be called, possibly after Cullen, but you never know how things will go in a trial. You could be called very quickly or it could take a couple of days to get to you."

"After I've testified I don't need to be there anymore though, right?"

"That depends. If the defense doesn't release you after their cross-examination, you still have to be there in case they want to recall you. They will have that option and we have to make sure you're available."

"Fuck!" I sigh and scrub my hands over my face in a move I've picked up from Edward, who's done it a thousand times.

"Don't worry. McCarty will be by your side the entire time. I'll be there too. And we have a safe room for witnesses under protection. We'll keep you safe."

"Will Edward be there?"

"No. He's off this case completely. He'll be there as a prosecution witness, but that's it."

He must see something on my face because he starts again. "Now listen, I know you're upset that he's off the case, but you need to understand …"

"It's fine. I'm just ready for all of this to be over so I can move on with my life." No way will I let this man see how upset I am.

"Miss Higginbotham, what are your plans for after the trial? Are you still looking for information about your mother? You're not planning to go back"—he clears his throat—"uh, back to the street, are you?"

"Look, I appreciate the information you gave me and I would like to find out what else you know about my mother and her family after the trial is over, but my plans are none of your business. Now, are we finished here?"

He runs his hand down face, stroking his giant mustache. "There's one more thing we need to go over."

I lift my brows, waiting for him to go ahead. My patience is wearing out.

"About the shooting of Officer Whitlock, you need to be aware that Cullen has been listed as the shooter, not you."

I jump to my feet. "What the fuck? What kind of game are you playing?"

"This is no game, I assure you. We have our reasons, and you _need_ to go along with this."

"Why should I? So Edward can get in trouble or something? Hell no! That's bullshit."

His whole face turns red, and he mumbles something under his breath before rubbing his temples. "You calm down and listen to me. Now no one is in any trouble for the shooting no matter who did it. That's not what this is about. It's just better for everyone involved if it's written up that way."

"Why?"

"You don't need to worry about it. We just need to make sure you understand so if you're questioned about it you can give the right answers."

"I'm not agreeing to shit unless you tell me why, damn it!"

He takes a deep breath. "Fine. This whole case revolves around you, and face it; you're not the most upstanding citizen. If you're listed as the shooter, the defense can and will try to turn things around using your past and your involvement with James to make you look like the unhappy working girl pissed at her pimp and out to get him. And if it makes it any better, Cullen knows about the change and agrees that this is the way to go."

I'm seething. "I'm so sick of you all making choices concerning my life without caring what I want or think. Just go." I feel a little sick knowing I'm doing the same thing to Edward, but I remind myself it really is in his best interest.

"I need to know you understand and will go along with the report."

"What does the fucking report even say?"

"It says exactly what happened except that when it comes to the shooting, we have Cullen fighting with Whitlock, getting shot and then pulling his spare and killing Whitlock."

"Fine. I'll go along with your bullshit report and your lies," I tell him, even though I'm still not happy about it and would rather hear from Edward that he actually agrees with this bullshit.

He moves to the door, and I follow behind so I can see for myself he's leaving. He stops and faces me again. In a softer voice than I've heard him use, he imparts more shitty advice. "You're so young and have your whole life ahead of you. Trust me, you're better off without Cullen."

I've had enough. "You know, if you didn't allow shit like James in your town, dirty cops on your payroll, or had just left Edward with me, things would be better." My voice grows louder and it's a good thing we don't have any neighbors around here or I'm sure I'd wake them up. "So fuck you! It's your fault! _All_ of this is your fault!"

Emmett comes to the door, alerted by my yelling, no doubt.

I figure Swan would be boiling mad, but instead his voice is soft again. "I'm sorry you're upset. I'm sorry all of this has affected your life so much, but you have to know none of it's really my fault. You came willingly with James. You made that choice. And we wanted him gone, but we needed proof he was doing something illegal. Whitlock never gave us any indication he was bad. Hell, McCarty and Cullen hung out with him from time to time. And speaking of Cullen, he knew what he was risking when he started something with you. I could have fired him instead of just removing him from the case."

"Whatever. Please just go."

"Fine. I'll go, but we have a lot more to talk about after the trial."

I'm not even listening anymore as I turn to go back inside.

I sink into the chair and pick up my lukewarm coffee. I know Emmett's waiting for me to break down again or say something, but I just don't have the energy. Finally the sound of footsteps tells me he must've walked away.

With my mind filled with worry and fear and my heart filled with missing Edward, I finally drift off with the morning sun warming me through the window.

**Mystery POV**

I've been waiting for this call for days. I understand it was an unusual request, but I'm the best agent in this department and this is personal to me. Heading to my commander's office, I rap twice before entering.

"Agent, have a seat," Commander Denali says, inviting me in. "I'm sure you know why you're here, so let's get straight down to business."

I give her a curt nod and wait for her to give me her decision.

She steeples her hands under her chin. "You know this was an unusual request. One in most circumstances I'd never consider, but your argument gave me pause, and I have made a decision."

I sit cool and collected, not breaking a sweat, but inside I'm dying to know. She's killing me dragging this shit out. _Just spit it out already!_

Finally she tells me what I've been waiting to hear. "I've decided to allow this investigation." A huge smile breaks out on my face. "Not so fast, Agent. There are conditions." She levels me with a glare then begins ticking them off on her fingers. "First, you'll contact local authorities and let them know your purpose in their jurisdiction. Second, daily reports will be made directly to me and finally, you have one month to see what you can dig up before I pull the plug. Is that understood, Agent?"

A month might not be as much time as I need, but anything is better than nothing. I'll just have to make it work. With a nod, I answer, "Yes, Commander Denali; understood."

I get up and make my way to my office. The quicker I can wrap things up here, the quicker I can start this investigation and find out what really happened to my family.

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**Hmmm… a mystery POV. Who could it be? We aren't telling. *zips lips* ;)**

**So we've now heard from Bella. She's going to be quite the handful. See you again soon when we get to hear from Edward again…**

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**Pop Religion is up for Top Ten Completed fics in February over at TwiFanfictionRecs, the link is on our profile. You can vote daily until March 31****st****. *wink, wink, nudge***


	4. Chapter 4

**As always special thanks to our beta, kitchmill, for being amazing and super-fast with this one. And, of course, our pre-readers Mana Liz and Judyblue95.**

**Let's see what Edward's been up to ...**

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**EPOV**

Goddamn it!

The sound of the door slamming echoes behind me. I stomp off the porch and straight to my car. Fuck this shit! I don't know why I even bothered. She used me as a fuck while she was out of commission. I pace around my car trying to get a grip before I drive off and kill myself or somebody else. The anger flowing through my veins has me irrational. I grip my hair and give it a firm tug then scratch my hands through the scruff of my beard.

Fuck Emmett! Who does he think he is stepping between me and her like that? He doesn't know her or what she needs. That's me; _I_ know her.

Pace, tug, scratch.

She has to know I'd do anything to be with her now. Hell, even this job can't keep us apart. I'd quit it in a second to be by her side.

I stop dead in my tracks and the light bulb turns on. That's exactly what she's doing. She thinks she's saving my job.

Of course, that's it! My pacing slows and my breathing takes on a more normal pattern. I wonder where she got such a shitty idea. With a heavy sigh, I make my way to the driver's side, making a decision immediately. There's only one thing left for me to do.

I pull out onto the highway with one destination in mind. If she won't let me be there and watch over her, then I'll do it another way. I drive to the local Walmart and go inside, ready to arm myself with everything I need to make this mission more bearable.

I trust McCarty, I really do, but I promised her _I'd_ watch over her, and that's what I intend to do … as much as I possibly can. I still have to show up for work, but I'm free until Monday morning when the trial starts.

I leave the store three hundred fifty bucks lighter, but I have everything I need to spend the weekend keeping my promise.

When I pull back into the long, tree-lined drive of the safe house, I look for any opening to hide my car. Just a little way down, I spot what I'm looking for. I get out and clear the way for my car to make it through the trees, then I pull into a little hideaway spot, making sure to go behind and replace the branches I moved.

With my car safely out of sight, I grab my tent and backpacks and start toward the woodline that surrounds the cabin. I trudge through the thick brush until I see the cabin through the trees. Now, time to find a suitable spot to set up camp.

After a little rearranging, I have a good site to set up my tent. When that's done, I climb into the lower branches of a nearby tree and pull my binoculars to my eyes.

Perfect.

I can see down the driveway clearly and have a perfect view of the front door and Bella's bedroom window. I can even see into the living room as long as the curtains stay like they are now.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

After a piss behind a log and a Snickers bar, I'm ready to go for the night. Taking my spot on the branch, I relax against the trunk and look to the cabin. It's well past dark, and lights are starting to turn off.

Finally, I lay eyes on Bella. She just entered her bedroom. Her face looks tired and weary. She goes straight to her bed and flops down. She's facing the window, and when my eyes connect with hers through the lens, I feel as if she's piercing my soul. One look at her face and I know I'm right about her reasons for doing this. Her eyes show pain and sadness. Deep in those brown depths, I see all the longing she hid earlier. It takes my breath away.

We stay like that for what feels like hours: me staring into her beautiful soul, her none the wiser, lying on her bed so deep in thought I wonder if she'll sleep at all.

Turns out, she doesn't. Her night is restless and turmoil filled. So many times I want to climb down from this tree and go to her, but then I remember, she turned me away. She thinks her reason is good, but it still pisses me off.

When the sun has barely risen, a vehicle slows on the highway and turns into the drive. Immediately, I go on high alert. Jumping down from my perch, I go to my tent and grab my gun then climb back in position to see who it is as soon as possible.

With my binoculars at the ready, I take in the incoming car as soon as it's in my sights. I recognize it immediately. I sigh in relief, but then grit my teeth. What the fuck is he doing here?

The chief's car comes to a halt right out front, and he ambles up the steps. When I turn my binoculars back on Bella, what I see there makes me suck in a huge gulp of air. She's standing in just her bra and panties, looking through her bag for more clothes. I should turn away, but I'm frozen. The sight of her pale, creamy skin brings image after image racing through my mind. Images I never want to have to live without again. I shake my head to clear it and tear my gaze from the scene in front of me.

I will get my girl back!

I slide down from my perch and take care of business, wondering the whole time what the chief wants with Bella this early in the morning. Has he decided to mention he's her father? Does he need to go over the trial again?

Oh shit! I'm not sure of his reason for being here, but there's one thing he's sure to tell her.

He's named me the shooter, and she doesn't have a clue. I didn't get the chance to tell her last night. She's going to lose her shit when he drops that little piece of info.

I lean against the tree trunk, eating a granola bar, just watching the cabin, wondering what's going down inside. It isn't long before I get my answer. The chief comes out the door with Bella not far behind. His voice is low and I can't make out the words, but Bella's are loud and clear. "So fuck you! It's your fault! _All_ of this is your fault!" She's irate and I want to go to her more than ever.

Fuck this; I can't take it anymore. She needs me more than this police department does.

As the chief drives away, I'm already gathering my gear. There's only one thing left to do. I need to be there for her, and if she thinks the chief's standing in the way, then who am I to allow that? Quickly grabbing my things, I start the journey back to my car.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Arriving at the precinct, I make my way to my office, hoping not to be spotted and caught up in mindless conversation. When the door closes behind me, I take a deep breath and sit at my desk, firing up my computer.

With my mission complete, I hit print, collect my letter and slide it into an envelope then make my way to the chief's office. I enter his office with the confidence of an officer who no longer cares about his job.

His head snaps up. "Cullen, what're you doing here?"

I slap the envelope on his desk and stand there silently.

With cautious movements, he retrieves the letter. "What's this?" He holds it up for me to look at.

I tense. His tone implies he knows exactly what it is, and this won't be as easy as I hoped. "My resignation."

He drops the letter to his desk and pushes it toward me. "No, I don't think so, Cullen."

Doesn't he realize that by handing in my resignation, he's no longer in the position to be giving me orders? "Sir, with all due respect, I can and I am!" My tone is firm, my anger at the whole situation barely restrained.

The fucker chuckles. "Sit down, Detective." I continue to stand. "That's an order!" His fist slams on the desk, and in true subordinate fashion, my ass hits the seat. I can't help it, it's ingrained in me to follow the orders of my superior.

"Let me make one thing clear, Detective: I don't plan on accepting any resignation from you at any time." He points his finger at me. "You're one of the best damn detectives I've ever had the pleasure of working with, and I'll be damned if I lose you because you can't keep it in your pants!"

I stop him right there. "Careful, Chief; you're crossing a line," I grit.

He sighs. "Look, I get it, really I do. This is one of those things you're going to have to put up with a little longer. The trial starts Monday, and after it's over, I have no say in what Bella does." He raises his eyebrows. "But until then, she's under Emmett's protection, and that's final."

If he won't accept my resignation, my only other option is to flat out quit. He's left me no choice. "I'm sorry that it's come to this then, but, Chief—"

"Hold up. Let's not make a decision you'll regret," he interrupts.

"I won't regret it," I tell him with a sureness I feel to my core. "I'll do anything for her, and right now she needs me!" I pound my fist into my chest. "_I_ need to be there with her, not Emmett."

He looks contemplative for a second then leans back in his chair. "So what exactly is your plan then? After you leave your job, I mean. You still can't go to her while she's under protection."

"I … uh …" I'm at a loss. I never even considered that I wouldn't be able to be there with her. Either way he's got me by the balls, and by the smartass smirk he's sporting, he knows it.

Bastard!

"Now that that's settled, let's talk about the trial." He grabs a folder off the corner of his desk and slides it over to me. "There's a list of questions in there you need to be prepared for. You'll be the first prosecution witness called, and most likely Bella will follow. Now, that being said, I want you to leave the courtroom as soon as you're done. Are we clear?"

Now it's my turn to smirk. "Yes, sir." I salute him. There's no way in hell that's happening and he knows it.

He slumps in his seat. "You're dismissed, Detective."

I take the folder and make my way to the door. Before I can make it out, he stops me one more time. "Oh, and for future reference, if you're going to defy direct orders, the least you can do is hide your car better."

I pale and stutter. "How …"

He leans back in his chair and locks his hands behind his head. "Detective, I'm not the chief of police for nothing. See you Monday morning, bright and early."

~~~~~WS~~~~~

I make a stop by what used to feel like home, just to shower and change clothes. Looking in the mirror, I see a shell of myself. Dark circles surround my eyes and a week's worth of scruff lines my jaw. With no time to wallow, I get dressed and leave.

Before making my way back to my lookout spot, I stop for food. Armed with a Big Mac combo, supersized, I drive back to keep watch over my Bella.

This time I make sure to hide my car better. If the chief spotted it, then the criminals will too. When all is set up once more, I crawl in my tent and try and get some shuteye while I know Emmett's on watch.

I wake up feeling just as weary as I was before. After looking at my watch and seeing I only slept three and a half hours, I shut my eyes again, hoping I can drift back off. It doesn't work. My mind is running nonstop. This trial is becoming the bane of my existence. What I used to thrive on has suddenly become something I want over and done.

I stretch my weary muscles and climb from the tent. The sun is drifting lower and will set soon. I pull open my backpack to grab a coke from my mini cooler then take a walk around camp trying to work out the kinks. Sleeping in a tent isn't so fun when your legs cramp and your back creaks.

Taking my perch, I focus my binoculars on the cabin, looking through every crack and crevice for any sign of Bella. When I finally spot her, it's not where I expected at all. She lies across the porch swing, book in hand, completely engrossed in the words on the page. The gentle breeze blows through her mahogany locks as the swing sways back and forth.

Back and forth.

The motion is hypnotizing. As if she can feel my eyes boring into her, she raises her head and looks around. Watching her through the binoculars gives me more of an advantage than I should have. Goose bumps rise on her skin, and her breathing picks up just a tad. It's like she knows there are eyes on her. Quickly, she retrieves her things and enters the cabin, hiding herself from my vision.

For the rest of the night I keep watch. All is calm, and it appears she and Emmett have built a camaraderie of sorts. They chat often, and a smile or two forms on her lovely face throughout the evening.

When it's time to retire for the night, she gives him a kiss on the cheek and heads to her room. I switch to the other window for a better view. I make a promise that this time I won't invade her privacy. The next time I see her like that, it'll be because she wants me to. I climb from my perch and take care of my own business, allowing her time to change for bed.

When only the lamplight remains, I climb back up and resume my stalking. I reason that I'm protecting her, but even I know that watching someone when they don't know it is wrong. I just can't look away. For the rest of the night, while she sleeps peacefully, I watch.

A jolt to my foot wakes me early the next morning. I come to my senses and immediately locate my gun.

"Calm down, Cullen. It's just me," I hear from below. Emmett stands there looking up at me. "What the fuck are you doing out here, man?" He crosses his arms over his chest. "Didn't Bella tell you to leave?"

I leap down from the branch and slip my gun in the waistband of my pants. I step right up in his face. "Yeah, she told me to leave, but as you can see, I didn't go very far." I motion to my campsite.

He huffs. "Man, you look like shit. Go home, go to bed, shave that mountain-man face off and be ready for trial Monday. I got this."

"I just bet you do," I sneer. "Looks like you're getting mighty cozy in the cabin."

He scrubs his hands over his face and stares straight at me. "What are you on about now?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you're with Bella one night and she's already kissing you!" I'm acting crazy, but who does he think he is trying to take my place in Bella's life?

He rolls his eyes and starts laughing. It isn't some little chuckle laugh either. He's bent over at the waist, taking in huge lungfuls of air, as he brays like a donkey.

It does nothing but piss me off more.

I push him. "Shut the fuck up!"

He stumbles back a little and laughs harder. Finally, he sobers up and grabs me by the front of my shirt. "Look, man, I don't know what that girl has done to you, but you've lost your fucking mind. You need to get a grip and it needs to be soon."

I stare into his eyes, and his expression says it all. He's almost at his breaking point. Emmett and I have been friends since I first came here. He's what I'd call my closest friend in Forks. We've worked cases together and hung out after work on occasion. He and Rose are both hard-working, honest people, and I trust them. Right now he's about fed up with me.

Maybe it's time I give him the ultimate trust.

I pull back and remove his hands from my shirt. "Emmett, you have to know that's my life in that cabin. If anything happens to her, I won't survive it. So I'm telling you now, it's on you"—I poke my finger in his chest—"and if you fuck up, it'll be like you let me die, too."

"I get it, man. I swear to you, nothing is going to happen to her." He pats my shoulder. "Now, off you go. We'll _both_ be there Monday, I promise you."

I take a deep breath and look around my campsite. Can I really go home and leave her in Emmett's care?

I scuff my foot across the ground and grab two handfuls of hair. "Fuck!"

Emmett stops my mini tirade with a firm grip to my shoulders. "I. Got. This. Now pack up and go," he urges.

I give in, the slump of my shoulders saying it all. He smiles. "Good. Let me help you pack up."

We gather up my stuff, and he trudges through the woods behind me. "You know you don't have to follow me. I'll leave on my own."

He chuckles. "I know, man. I need to do a perimeter check anyway."

I cough. "Bullshit."

He cracks up, but still continues following me. When my stuff is loaded, he gives me a firm pat on the back. "You're doing the right thing."

"For your sake, you better hope so." I get in the car while Emmett clears the path for me to drive away.

When I get home I go straight to my bathroom. Time to make myself presentable. I shave first then turn on the hot water and begin to shed my clothes. When I'm under the spray, I let my muscles relax and think of Bella.

The images come unbidden behind my eyes.

_Goose bumps breaking out on her skin. Her in only panties and bra as I spied yesterday morning._ I know what she's hiding under those garments, and it's those images that begin to flash rapidly behind my lids.

_Her plump, red lips wrapped around my cock._

_Riding me with the sexy confidence of a siren._

_The sounds escaping her as she finds her release._

My hand starts wandering and skims my cock, rock hard at standing at attention. I grip it firmly and, in one long, slow motion, go all the way to the top, enclosing the head in its skin.

Release down, squeeze up.

The images fly through my mind as my motions speed up.

_Legs over shoulders as I pivot and pound._

_Taking her from behind, plump ass in the air. _

_The way she tugs my hair as I lick her pussy._

My breathing escalates and stomach muscles quiver.

_Pounding into her, legs wrapped, only the wall for support._

_The fire of our first kiss in the rain._

My balls tighten.

_Coming in spurts down her throat._

I release.

Sagged against the shower wall, I will my mind to lose those images, the ones that'll break me if I can never have them again.

Suddenly, I feel dirty. A dirty, old man getting off to a nineteen-year-old girl. A girl who's turned him away. The more I consider it, the more I think it might be for the best. I took advantage of her with my age _and_ position of authority. How could I have let myself get so far off track? I grab my body wash and scrub. I scrub my body to cleanse it and, all the while, hope to cleanse my soul, too.

I stay until the water runs cold.

My soul turns cold.

I get dressed in sleep pants and a T-shirt and make my way to my bedroom. At least I never had her here. I'd never be able to bear it without her. I flop across my bed and don't recall anything else.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

"State your name and position for the record," Prosecutor Black says.

I swallow. "Detective Edward Cullen. I'm a detective for the Forks Police Department."

"Do you recognize the defendant?"

I nod. "I do. James Hunter."

"You were the lead detective on the Stanley case. Is that correct, Detective?"

"It is. I had help from other officers, but they answered to me."

"And who did you answer to?"

I motion toward the chief. "Chief Swan is my direct superior."

He changes tactics. "Could you tell me what put Mr. Hunter on the suspect list in the murder of Jessica Stanley?"

My eyes flick to Hunter, and I smirk before responding. "Sure. You see, Mr. Hunter is a pimp, and when a prostit—"

"Objection, Your Honor! There has been no proof set forth that my client has any such profession."

Prosecutor Black speaks up. "Your Honor, the evidence will show that the defendant is in fact a pimp and the victim was a prostitute who worked for him."

Judge Cheney bangs his gavel. "Overruled, but present some evidence, Counselor."

This is how the day goes. Constant questions and fruitless objections. Pages among pages are entered as evidence. My time on the stand paints a picture, a clear image of all the mistakes Mr. Hunter made.

Once the prosecution has woven a tale of murder, they hand me over to the defense. The questions take on a more accusatory tone, but the answers remain the same.

The truth.

**Mystery POV**

Our fingers collide as we both try to hit the up button at the elevator. I feel like I've been electrocuted as soon as they make contact. We both jerk back in embarrassment.

"Uh, I'm sorry."

With a simple nod, all is forgiven. I have no idea what that even was. We enter, and I press the fourth floor. With another nod, I know the number is the same.

As we ride I can feel the stare burning through me. Eyes that won't leave the side of my face. I stand in complete stillness allowing the perusal.

When the bell dings, I step aside and allow everyone to exit first. Taking a deep breath, I shake myself back into the purpose of this trip.

With my focus back to the job at hand, I calmly walk down the hall toward the courtroom. I enter just as the defense is making its opening argument. James Hunter is a piece of shit and will get what's coming to him; of this I have no doubt.

First to the stand is Edward Cullen, the lead detective on this case. I sit and take notes of the key factors of his testimony, looking for anything that doesn't fit, any slight fluctuation that would make me question his actions.

When the defense finally utters, "No more questions, Your Honor," Judge Cheney issues a ten minute recess. I lift my eyes to glance around the room and am caught in the firm stare of burning, green irises.

I remain in my seat, locked in a blazing stare down. When I can't handle the intensity any longer, I look down and begin studying my notes. Once the presence no longer lingers, I make a quick trip to the restroom and settle back in, waiting for the next witness to be called.

"All rise," the bailiff announces.

"Be seated. Prosecutor Black, call your next witness," Judge Cheney commands.

He stands. "Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls Isabella Higginbotham to the stand."

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**Ahhh, one final Mystery POV until all it is revealed (sooner or later lol). We love reading your guesses though ;) **

**Thanks so much for all of your words. We love the passion some of you have for these characters, good and bad.**

**See you soon! ~ Fyre**


	5. Chapter 5

**A million thanks to our beta, kitchmill, who has taught us (well mostly Fyre since I'm more of a brick wall than a sponge lol) so much. And our wonderful pre-readers Mana Liz and Judyblue95. Our team for this story is invaluable.**

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**BPOV**

Saturday passes so slowly. I try to read outside on the porch swing, but I swear someone is watching me. The feeling is so strong that I have to go back inside.

Emmett is surprisingly becoming a good friend. He seems to have both mine and Edward's best interests at heart.

Edward … I miss him more than I ever thought possible. I feel empty and soulless without him. He has become my rock and my home. Now I've possibly ruined that forever. I just hope he can forgive me when the trial is over and I can tell him the truth.

I grew up terribly. I know that. But I've always been good at taking care of myself and overcoming. This time, if I can't work things out with Edward, I won't ever recover.

Sunday, I don't even want to get out of bed until Emmett bangs on my door for the fifth time and tells me if I don't come out on my own he'll come in and get me. I don't doubt him, so I finally get up, get dressed and join him for breakfast.

"About time you came out. I thought I was actually going to have to drag you out here."

I flip him off and he just laughs.

"Eat. We've got a visitor coming later." He points to my plate with his fork.

I perk up. "Is Edward coming back?"

"No. Sorry. He should be getting ready for the trial. My Rose is coming. She's going to bring you something proper to wear for court."

"Does Swan know this?"

"Charlie has already talked to her and gave her permission to come."

I narrow my eyes at him. "He did? I can't believe that hardass gave permission for that."

Emmett laughs. "Yeah, well, he knows I'll be professional, even if she's here. He also trusts her. Now, eat like I said."

I salute him. "Yes, sir."

He grins as he digs into his breakfast. "Smartass."

"Don't talk with your mouth full. What would your wife say?"

We continue to talk and joke as we finish our meal. Then I help him clean up the mess he made in the kitchen. He may be a decent cook, but he sure can make a disaster while doing it.

After the kitchen is clean, I flop into the chair nearest the window and once again pull out my book. It's the same book I've read a hundred times, but I still love it. It always makes me feel good, and I'm able to lose myself in the pages.

Before I know it, there's a knock at the door. I must admit, to myself at least, that I'm a little nervous to meet this Rosalie. The only women I've spent much time around are my mother, Victoria and other prostitutes. Plus, no matter what Emmett says, I'm sure this woman isn't too fond of her husband babysitting someone who used to sleep with men for money.

I steel myself for whatever may happen as Emmett opens the door. I don't know what I'm expecting, but it isn't the blonde that walks in. She's beautiful and well put together. She's a bit on the voluptuous side, but it suits her well. I can definitely see what attracted Emmett to her in the first place.

As soon as she's in, with the door closed behind her, they kiss and hug like it's been months instead of days since they've seen each other. The love radiating from them makes my chest ache with want for Edward. I shake those thoughts off and put a smile on my face as they break apart and turn to me.

"Rosie, this is Miss Isabella Higginbotham. Bella, this is my wife, Rosalie McCarty."

She looks at me with a bright smile that is open and friendly. "Nice to meet you, Isabella. You can call me Rose."

I hesitate for only a second before I greet her. "Nice to meet you, too. You can call me Bella. I much prefer that, as your husband knows." I glare at Emmett for a second, but he just flashes those dimples.

Rose laughs. "That sounds about right. So, Bella, come and sit with me. Let's get to know each other."

My eyes widen. I'm not sure what she's up to. She starts for the living room, but stops when she realizes I'm not following her. "Come on, missy. I'm not going to bite."

Emmett snorts before gently pushing me toward his wife. He goes off into the kitchen, leaving us alone.

Rose pats the seat next to her on the couch, but I choose the chair instead. That earns a laugh from her. She sits appraising me for a minute, and I'm getting close to going off on her when she finally speaks. "So, Bella, tell me about yourself."

"I'm sure you already know enough."

"I know the basics, but I want to know the real Bella."

"Trust me, my story isn't interesting. I'm sure you've heard much worse."

There's something in her eyes, something that looks like understanding. "Listen, Bella, everyone has a story and they're all different. All that matters is how they affect us and make us into the people we are."

I stay silent. I don't want to admit that I'm not happy with the person I've let myself become. I'm not ashamed, but it's also not something I'd shout from rooftops. Being a prostitute definitely wasn't my dream when I was a little girl.

She must realize I'm not going to talk, so she breaks the silence. "Do you want to hear my story?"

I'm surprised she's offering to tell me anything. "Uh, yeah, sure."

She sits forward and looks me in the eye. "I grew up with distant parents. They weren't cruel, just not affectionate. They really weren't meant to be parents. They let me grow up way too fast, and by the time I was twelve I was able to pretty much come and go as I pleased."

"Twelve?"

She laughs lightly. "Yeah. Thankfully, I was very smart so I was easily able to keep up with my schoolwork and I wasn't really into much trouble at that time. Mostly, I would go to the local park or to my friend's house."

"Boring."

"Hey, I was twelve."

We both laugh for a minute before she continues.

"By the time I was seventeen I was getting wilder, hanging out with a bad crowd and dabbling in drugs. I'd stay out all night, even entire weekends if I felt like it. My parents would occasionally question me, but for the most part they left me alone. One weekend there was a party. We were all drinking and getting high. Next thing I know, I'm in a bedroom with a boy I barely know. I didn't say no to him, but I wasn't really in the right mind to say yes. I definitely said no to the next three boys that came in. Unfortunately they didn't listen."

She pauses her story for a second, and I'm surprised to find I have tears in my eyes. She reaches into her pocket and hands me a tissue before continuing.

"Did you … what … um … what did you do, uh, after?"

She smiles at me, and there's nothing but serenity and wisdom in her eyes. "I didn't do anything. I got dressed and went home. For the next year I did even harder drugs, and to make sure I was never forced to have sex, I always gave it away freely. My life was really spiraling out of control. I somehow managed to graduate high school, even though I barely remember my senior year. I was in my first semester of college when I OD'd. I would've died if my roommate hadn't found me. I spent six months in rehab, and while I was there, I finally talked about what happened to me. It was the hardest time of my life, but also exactly what I needed."

The cynic in me can't help but wonder if she's feeding me a load of bullshit. The woman in front of me looks so together, and she runs a shelter for women. Plus, she's married to Emmett. It's hard to equate this person to the one she's telling me about. I can't imagine this Rose ever having anything bad happen to her or making bad choices.

She smirks at me. What is it with everyone smirking at me? "What, you don't believe me?"

"Well, it's hard to imagine _you_ ever making a mistake or a shitty choice. And I can't see you ever letting anyone take advantage of you without you kicking their ass."

"I could say the same about you, you know."

That almost knocks the breath out of me. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Don't get pissed. Just listen, okay?"

I narrow my eyes at her, but hesitantly nod.

"I see so much in you, Bella. I can see so many walls, and I can see that some really bad things have happened to you in your life. I can also see that you are so strong, honey. I _know_ someone or maybe more than one person has hurt you. I also know that you made some bad choices like me, but I also see a woman who's still going. A woman who's still putting herself out there. A woman that has so much potential. You haven't given up. You haven't stopped living, and that's so important. That shows how strong you are."

I start to speak, but she keeps talking.

"I'm not going to ask for your story or anything right now. I'm just hoping you'll let me be your friend."

"I don't need your help, Rose. I'm not one of the women that comes to your shelter."

"I know that, but everyone can use a friend. And my husband likes you, so that says a lot in my book. Just think about it, okay?"

I search her eyes for pity or lies and find none. "Okay."

"Great. Now, let's go try on some of these outfits I brought and see what's best for court."

And that's exactly what we spend the next hour doing. After that, we all sit down and eat.

Watching Emmett and Rose together is like watching two halves of a whole. They're so different and yet so complimentary to each other. It's an awesome thing to see, and it makes me miss Edward even more.

After we eat, it's time for Rose to go. She gives me a huge hug that I'm happy to return. "I'm so happy to have met you, Bella. I'll see you at the courthouse tomorrow."

"You're coming?" I lean back and ask.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss supporting my new friend when she needs it most." Her smile is genuine, and I relish in the comfort it brings.

"Thank you, Rose. I don't know what to say."

"You don't say anything. That's what friends are for." She turns to give Emmett one final kiss goodbye while I mull over the word, tossing it around in my head.

Friends. Do I even know how to be a friend to someone? Maybe it's time I try, and Rose seems like the perfect person to start with.

~~~~~WS~~~~

The first day of the trial dawns quickly. I dress and move to the living room to wait on Emmett. He attempts to get me to eat breakfast, but there's no way I can. I'm too nervous. It's all I can do not to vomit. I've done my best this whole time not to dwell on the reality of this too much, but now that it's actually happening, I have no choice.

The bright side is that I'll hopefully see Edward. Even if he hates me and shuns me, just seeing him will still be enough for me.

The fact that I don't have to sit in the courtroom the whole time helps too. I'll only be forced to face James when I'm on the stand.

Emmett drives us to a place where we meet up with another car and several other officers including Swan. We follow them into an underground parking garage.

Once we're parked, Emmett tells me we need to wait for the all clear. After several minutes Swan comes to the door, motioning for us to follow him. He leads us to an elevator and then through a hallway and into a deserted room without windows. I almost want to laugh at how careful they're being. I wonder if this is how royalty feel.

It's nerve-wracking waiting, but at least Emmett's here to keep me company. Thankfully, the wait isn't too long since I'm the second witness called.

As I walk into the courtroom, I immediately see Edward sitting near the front. After I'm sworn in, my eyes automatically seek him out. He has bags and looks drawn and that's mostly my fault, but he's still the most beautiful man I've ever seen.

My eyes slide to the right and take in the dark-haired girl seated beside him, and then Rose sitting just past her. She's smiling at me, and even though I barely know her, it helps to know she's there.

The bailiff comes up then, taking my attention. He swears me in, before the prosecutor steps in front of me. "Good morning, Miss Higginbotham."

"Good morning."

"Can you tell us how you know the defendant, please?"

"That's James Hunter; he was my pimp." I know they want me to keep my answers as honest and short as possible.

"Was work the only contact or relationship you had with Mr. Hunter?"

"No. I also lived with him."

"Were you his lover?"

"No. He was somewhat possessive of me, but it wasn't in a sexual way."

"So you spent quite a lot of time with him."

"I did."

"Did you care for Mr. Hunter?"

"No. At times I feared him. I was actually trying to come up with a way to get away from him when everything happened."

"By everything you mean …?"

"I mean when he killed Jessica Stanley. By the time I was brought into the police I was already packed and ready to escape."

The prosecutor lifts a brow. "Escape?"

"Um, yeah. James would never just let me leave, so I was planning to run."

"Have you attempted to leave before?"

I nod. "I have."

"What happened then, Miss Higginbotham?" he asks in a compassionate voice.

"When I first arrived, it didn't take long to realize I was somewhere I didn't want to be. James was nothing like Victoria."

The prosecutor interrupts. "Victoria? Your previous madam?"

Again, I nod. "Yes, sir. She treated me like a person with free will. James, on the other hand, treated me like his possession. Trying to control my every move and dollar."

"And when you attempted to leave?"

I start fidgeting, taking a glance at James. His face is set in stone, his eyes shooting fire. I turn back to the prosecutor. "He caught me. He told me I was never leaving, and if I tried, he'd hunt me down and make sure I paid. I've been on the streets for a long time and didn't have much money or anywhere to go, so I stayed."

The prosecutor nods and changes his line of questioning. "Did you know Miss Stanley?"

"Not very well. I know she worked for James and wanted more money."

"Do you know how she died?"

"I do."

He steps closer to the jury box and takes a dramatic pause before turning back to me. "How?"

"James strangled her using a piece of string."

"How do you know this, Miss Higginbotham?"

"I saw the whole thing."

"How did you see it happen?"

I take a deep breath and glance over at James. He's glaring at me, and for a minute I feel faint. "Miss Higginbotham, how did you see Jessica being killed?"

I need to answer, but I'm terrified at that moment. A movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention. It's Edward. My eyes lock with his and suddenly I can speak again.

"I lived with James as I mentioned earlier. Jessica was there to talk with him. They were arguing. I could hear them from my room. I came out to see what was happening. I quietly crept over to peek around the corner to see what was going on. I saw James strike Jessica. I grabbed my phone to record it. I thought I could get him on camera abusing her and we could take the evidence to the police and get him arrested. I didn't expect that he would grab this rope from his pocket and strangle her. I wanted to help her, but I was so scared."

"The prosecution would like to present exhibits J and K to the court. J is the string that contained epithelials of both Jessica Stanley and James Hunter and K is the recording from Isabella Higginbotham's phone showing James Hunter strangling Jessica Stanley."

"Miss Higginbotham, what happened after you witnessed Mr. Hunter murder Miss Stanley?"

"I snuck back to my room and prayed he didn't know I was there. After a while I heard his car leave. I went into his room and saw the rope he used. I'm still not even sure why, but I picked it up and put it in a Ziploc baggy and hid it."

He continues asking me questions. I answer everything just as I've gone over with Swan, while of course leaving out anything personal between Edward and me.

We get to the part about Whitlock, and I try to tell as much of the truth as possible.

"Can you take us through the events that led up to Detective Cullen shooting Officer Whitlock?"

"Yes. Officer Whitlock showed up that morning and told Detective Cullen that Chief Swan wanted to see him. Detective Cullen left him to guard me while he went to meet the chief. Almost immediately he attacked me. He slapped me and tried to rape me. Detective Cullen came back. He saved me and they got into an altercation. Detective Cullen managed to shoot him. It all happened so fast I can't be sure of the specifics."

"Thank you, Miss Higginbotham. No further questions at this time."

The prosecution rests, and it's the defense's turn. I'm a little more nervous about their questions, but knowing Edward is here makes me braver.

The defense attorney has slicked back black hair. He's handsome in a way, but I know enough about men to know he screams untrustworthy and slimy.

I straighten my spine and prepare for what's to come.

"Miss Higginbotham, you _say_ you worked for Mr. Hunter?"

"I _did _work for Mr. Hunter, yes."

He looks toward James and they share some sort of quick look. "And how did you come to know Mr. Hunter?"

"I met him through Victoria."

"The madam you were working for."

Does he think calling her my madam is going to throw me off? I'm not that delicate. "Yes."

"And isn't it true that you asked Mr. Hunter to take you with him to Forks? He didn't ask you to accompany him."

I shake my head. "No, that isn't exactly true. Victoria knew I was interested in going to Forks. She set everything up."

"But Mr. Hunter never actually asked you move with him?"

I'm not exactly sure where he's going with this, and it's making me nervous.

"Victoria told me …"

He interrupts me. "Yes or no please, Miss Higginbotham."

"No."

"When you arrived in Forks with Mr. Hunter, isn't it true that you seduced him?"

I want to shout, but Swan and Emmett have both warned me multiple times that the defense will try to get me to lose my composure. I have to stay calm. I glance at Edward; his jaw is clenched and he looks furious.

"No. I didn't seduce James. Victoria explained that I would be living with him in my own room. For some reason, which I didn't understand at the time, he didn't want me working as much as the other girls, but he still sent me out when needed. I never had a sexual relationship with him."

"You expect us to believe that you were the only girl working for him that he allowed to live with him, he didn't have you working as often and yet you weren't sleeping with him?"

"I can only tell you things from my point of view. I did speak to—"

He interrupts me once again. "Isn't it true that you hated Jessica Stanley because you felt threatened by her?"

"Absolutely not."

"And isn't it true that you wanted to take over Mr. Hunter's business, so you set things up to be able to get rid of both Jessica and Mr. Hunter?"

I'm trying to stay calm and not raise my voice. "That's insane and impossible."

"I'm not sure that would be impossible for you, Miss Higginbotham. Something tells me you can make things happen if you want them to. I'm sure you've met plenty of men in your business, correct?"

"Correct."

"Possibly men who are good with editing videos or even men that work at the police department, maybe even the forensics office?"

"I usually don't chat very much with the men I meet, other than what do you want and which position." That causes several snickers from the crowd.

"What can you tell the court about Officer Whitlock?"

"Not much. He was a dirty cop that tried to rape and kill me."

"Really? Isn't the real story that you seduced Officer Whitlock and he was your accomplice?"

For a moment I panic. I wasn't prepared for this line of questioning. As my breathing accelerates, my eyes find Edward again. He gives me a small nod of the head, and it helps me refocus. "No that's not the real story. I told you the real story."

"Hmmm. So you weren't working with Officer Whitlock to take over Mr. Hunter's business?"

"No, I wasn't. I had never even met him before he showed up at the safe house that day."

"The day he was shot."

"The day he attacked me, yes." I take a glance at James and notice his smirk. Things must be fixing to get ugly.

"Miss Higginbotham, isn't it true that you met Officer Whitlock as a client and you convinced him to help you? He was your way in and helped you plan Miss Stanley's murder, and the day he was shot was another plan between the two of you? When Detective Cullen came back early, you used it to your advantage and got rid of Officer Whitlock by crying victim?"

"What? That's crazy." Tears form in my eyes and I feel faint. My mind can't focus and my eyes are looking around madly. I mean to find Edward when I lock on chief Swan, who I didn't even realize was here. Even though I don't like the man, seeing him and focusing on his face allows me to calm down and concentrate on what I need to do.

I sniff and quickly wipe the one tear that managed to slip out. Then I straighten my back and look the defense attorney in the eye. "I never had sex with Officer Whitlock. I never met him until the day he came to the safe house. Mr. Hunter used to brag about having someone inside the police department. Now I know that to be Officer Whitlock. He attacked me. He would have raped and killed me if not for Detective Cullen. I was scared for my life that day." My gaze doesn't waver from his.

He doesn't meet my eyes for long before he turns with a huff. "That's all the questions I have for now, but I reserve the right to recall this witness later if necessary."

I look over to the judge, waiting to hear his response. "That's fine, Mr. Volturi." He looks at the the prosecutor. "Do you have any additional questions for Miss Higginbotham at this time?"

The prosecutor stands. "Not at this time, Your Honor."

He turns to me. "Miss Higginbotham, you're dismissed for now, but you are still under oath and may be recalled at a later time."

I look out once more and see James staring murderously at me. Without a doubt, I'd be dead if he could get his hands on me right now. I also see Edward. The sadness and exhaustion is etched so plainly, it's painful to see. He does offer me a smile, which I am beyond thankful for. I smile back at him before standing on shaky legs and making my way to where Emmett is waiting to escort me out.

* * *

**We got to meet Rose. Hopefully she'll be a good friend for Bella. Speaking of Bella… how do we think she did on the stand? **

**Thank you all for your continued support of this story. Hopefully, we'll see you soon. Trust me, the next chapter is one you're not going to want to miss. **

**Until then… ;)**


	6. Things Aren't Always as They Seem

**A HUGE thank you to kitchmill for doing a quick beta job on Friday to get this back so we could post today. We appreciate her so much!**

* * *

**Okay, Edward was all over the place last chapter, let's see if he's any better this one ;)**

**EPOV**

As I exit the stand, Judge Cheney calls for a ten minute recess. My eyes scan the crowd as I walk to where my family is waiting for me at the end of the aisle. I greet them, giving mom a quick hug before ushering them from the courtroom.

When we reach the hall, I lead them to an empty room. "Thank you for coming." I shake Dad's hand.

"Of course, son. There's nowhere we'd rather be." He smiles and gives me a firm pat.

Mom steps forward. "Oh, honey, you know we'd never miss being here to support you. That murderer. How can he live with himself?"

I chuckle. "Mom, he's a soulless man. Lives mean nothing to him as long as he gets what he wants."

Her nose turns up in distaste. "Well, I'm glad you were there to put him away. I'm just sorry you had to go through all you did just to have this day."

I quirk a brow. "All that I did?"

She places her hand on my cheek. "Yes, son, all you did. Hiding away from your friends and family for months on end, with a prostitute no less. And then you had to kill someone."

I tense and step back, her hand falling to her side. "It's all part of the job, Mom. It's what I do." No need to get into this now, but I can tell already that we'll be having a conversation, sooner rather than later.

Whether Bella and I work things out or not.

Just thinking her name is like a stab to my heart. She's here, somewhere in this building, getting ready to take the stand, and I intend to be there to lend as much support as one can sitting on a pew in the courtroom.

"Of course, my dear boy." She pinches my cheek. "You are the best, after all."

"Okay, Mom, if you say so," I placate her before turning to Alice, who's been uncharacteristically quiet this whole time. "Hey, Ali. I'm glad you could make it." I reach over and give her a firm hug.

She squeezes me good and tight before pulling back. "Hey, big bro. Good job you did up on the stand. There's no way that scumsucker isn't going to jail for what he did."

My mother gasps. "Allison Brandy Cullen!"

Uh oh, Mom's whole-naming her.

"What? That's what he is." She shrugs.

"Oh, definitely, and we've got him good. There's no way he's getting out of this," I say, trying to intervene. Mom gives Alice a reproachful look but doesn't say anything more.

Allison is her first name, but when she was seven, she came home from school declaring she didn't want to be Allison anymore. The girl's at school had made fun of her. They said Allison was for stuck up girls. Crazy, I know, but so goes the minds of seven-year-old girls. She decided she was now Alice Cullen, so that's what we've called her since. She hates it when mom uses her full name.

"Son, I hate to cut in, but now that you've testified, your mother and I are going to get to our jobs. We wanted to be here to support you." He slides his arm around my mother's waist.

"Okay, no problem. I didn't think you guys would want to stay all day. After we get a verdict, I'll stop by and let you take a look at my arm if you want. It's feeling pretty good now, though." I bend my arm at the elbow a couple times to show him it's in working order.

Mom reaches over and lays her hand on my forearm. "It's not fine until your father says it's fine."

I roll my eyes. "I'll get by there as soon as I can. See you later in the week, then?"

He gives me a nod before turning and leading mom out of the room. I turn back to Alice, who's just standing there with her brows crinkled. I rub my finger over her forehead. "Crinkles make wrinkles."

She snaps out of her thoughts and smacks me on the arm. "I'll show you wrinkles."

I laugh outright at the threat. Alice is my much younger sister. I was already twelve when our parents announced they were pregnant again. At first, I wasn't too happy, but then this smiling, green-eyed, dark-haired bundle of cute broke down those walls. I love her more than my twelve-year-old self ever imagined I could.

I get more serious. "Thanks for coming to watch me testify. It helped knowing I had support in the audience."

"Where else would I be?" she asks.

"I know, Ali, and I love you for it."

She takes my arm, at the crook of my elbow, and starts leading me out into the hall. "You know, I'm kind of looking forward to hearing Bella's testimony. Finally seeing her in person."

I'm taken aback. "You intend to stay?" My eyes land on her face.

"Pfft, I wouldn't miss this for the world. So much to see in that courtroom."

I should be surprised Alice is willing to stay for Bella's testimony, but I'm not. She's an intuitive person and can already tell this case is different for me. She doesn't know why yet, but she will … and soon.

We continue into the courtroom and follow the aisle up behind Prosecutor Black's table. He notices me and gives a cursory nod before turning back to the chief. Their heads are bent together while whispers are being exchanged between them.

When I turn to the aisle, a smile lights my face. Rose is already sitting a little way down the pew. I step aside and allow Alice to enter ahead of me and follow her down where I can still converse with Rose.

"Rose," I say in greeting.

"Edward." She stands and stretches over to give me a light hug.

"Let me to introduce you to Alice, my sister? Alice, this is Rose, Officer McCarty's wife."

Alice beams. "I've been dying to meet some of Edward's friends outside of work. And while you are still connected to work, you're technically not a work friend. So, it's so good to meet you."

Rose chuckles, reaching out her hand.

Alice, never one to be shy, grabs Rose and hugs the life out of her. I try to intervene and save Rose from my sister's more outgoing nature, but with a simple wave she assures me that everything's fine.

Rose and Emmett are what I would consider my closest friends in Forks. Sure, it's mostly work related things that bring us together, but I do enjoy my time with them.

In my early days on the force, I was invited down to the local pub numerous time and always declined. One day, Emmett wouldn't take no for an answer. He insisted I shut down my computer and join the guys for a beer. So I did. I actually had a good time, and it became a regular occurrence for me. Maybe not every time they got together, but I'd join them at least twice a month.

I get a pang in my chest just thinking about those days. Officer Whitlock was always among us, carefree and girl chasing. I actually considered him my friend, so to realize he was so deep in something that he was willing to kill me over just tears me up inside.

Reliving that scene on the stand hurt. It hurt to have to say those things about him. It hurt to realize it was him or me. He would've killed me … and Bella.

I'm brought out of my memories when Rose squeezes my forearm. "Bella's up next."

I tilt my head to the side. "You say that with familiarity."

She smiles and nods. "Yes, I met her yesterday. I actually helped her find something presentable for court today."

Realizing she's seen and talked to her recently makes me not able to stop myself. "How was she?" I beg. My voice is desperate and needy; even I can hear it. There's no doubt Rose noticed it, too.

Frown lines form on her forehead for a few seconds before a hard mask slips over her features. "She was fine," she says curtly. She knows; she's read me like a book.

"Rose, please, you have to tell me something," I plead once again.

She crosses her arms and tilts her head forward, bringing her lips closer. "No, Edward, I don't have to tell you anything."

"Edward?" Alice breaks in, confusion marring her features.

I turn to face her. "I'm sorry, Ali. Everything's okay. Why don't we all just have a seat?" I give her a fake smile. Thankfully, she accepts it and smiles back before taking her seat.

When I'm seated beside her, she leans over and mumbles out of the side of her mouth, "What was that all about?"

Just as I'm about to make up some lie, the bailiff speaks. "All rise. The Honorable Benjamin Cheney presiding."

_Whew! Saved by the judge._

It doesn't take but minutes before Bella enters the courtroom. My jaw almost unhinges at the proper lady before my eyes. She's wearing a light blue fitted suit with black fuck me heels at the end of her long, ivory legs. Her hair is twisted up on her head, and a light touch of makeup completes her look.

A vision of loveliness.

Her mask is firmly slipped into place as she sways down the aisle, every bit the woman she's pretending to be. Not sexy and seductive, but confident and calm. Innocent and truthful.

Prosecutor Black takes his time with Bella as he weaves a compelling tale of murder. One that has video and forensic evidence to back it up. When he's done, it's time for the defense. My muscles involuntarily stiffen. What's about to come is going to be a challenge. Sitting here and watching it unfold might just be the hardest thing I'll ever have to do.

His questions start out slow, the accusations only barely peeking through. When Bella glances at James and jerks away quickly, I realize he's trying to intimidate her. She scans the crowd almost manically before her eyes settle on mine. I give her a constant, sure stare, and she continues her answer.

When Bella no longer needs my assurance, my eyes turn to James. They bore into the side of his skull so hard, I'm sure lasers will shoot out any minute. After an immeasurable amount of time, he must feel me, because his eyes scan the courtroom. When they meet mine, a slight smirk slides up his features. My whole body lights into flames. I want to consume him in with my fire.

I allow my muscles to loosen and the heat to fade before letting my own smirk inch up. My eyes flash to Bella and back to James. My smirk deepens. "Yes, she's alive and testifying, motherfucker," it says.

The moment realization dawns on him is as clear as day. His face turns red, his breathing accelerates and his body begins shaking.

Check and mate.

I focus back to Bella's testimony, not sparing another glance his way. When slimy Volturi gets to his accusations about Officer Whitlock, I tense again. I hope the chief prepared her for this. My jaw clenches and my fists ball in my lap while he hurls lie after lie at her.

I feel a small, cool hand enclose itself over mine. It takes me a minute to register the feeling, but when I do, I allow my eyes to slide to the left. Alice is staring at me as if I've sprouted an extra head. I allow her to loosen my grip and I open my hands, flexing them a few times. After a deep breath, I relax again.

The rest of her testimony is just as painful, but I don't let myself get worked up. She's an amazing woman who owned the witness stand. She spoke the truth and spoke it firmly and with confidence.

She was amazing.

When she passes by, I give her a tight smile of support. As soon as the doors have closed behind her, Judge Cheney recesses for the rest of the day to reconvene at eight in the morning. The prosecution has a few more witnesses to call before resting their case.

Slam and dunk.

Rose stands and tries to rush by, but I grab her arm, stopping her. "Rose, please, wait."

She snatches her arm and leans up in my face. "No, you wait. You're a dirtbag, Edward Cullen." She shakes her head. "I thought I knew you, but obviously I don't. Taking advantage of a _girl_ like that. How dare you?"

"I ... I …"

"Exactly! You're a piece of shit and you know it!" She pokes me in the chest and turns to walk off.

I grab onto her once more, speaking with forcefulness now. "No, Rose, no." Then more quietly. "I love her."

Her face softens just a touch. "I can't with this right now. I need to go see if she's okay." She walks away shaking her head.

Alice sits silently by while the whole confrontation goes on. I motion her over. "How much did you hear?"

"All of it," she states simply. No emotion, no accusation in her words. Just admittance.

"I can explain. It's a long story, one I was almost ready to share anyway, but I want to share it with you," I tell her, hoping she'll give me the opportunity to explain.

Her eyes are focused over my shoulder, so I turn to follow her line of sight. She grabs my face and plants a kiss on my cheek. "No explanation needed, big bro. Tell me when you're ready. Right now, I have to go." She rushes off down the aisle like her ass is on fire.

The chief approaches me next, and I groan. How much worse can this day get?

"Cullen," he addresses me.

"Chief."

He holds out his hand, and I clasp it with mine. "Good testimony, Detective. You and Bella both knocked it out of the park." He leans in closer. "I breathed a sigh of relief when my best detective didn't get arrested for strangling the defense attorney." He chuckles.

"Ha ha, very funny. I wanted to strangle the defendant more than his attorney."

"Well, I for one am glad you didn't. Let him suffer. He'll be spending the rest of his miserable life behind bars." His face takes on a sinister quality.

I like it.

"So you and Officer McCarty are testifying tomorrow?" I ask, just to be sure nothing else has come up.

"Yep, and we shouldn't take long on the stand. Maybe we can wrap this one up by the end of the week."

"I know I'll be glad when it's over." I rock back on my heels, glancing around the courtroom.

He grabs me by my lapels. "Listen, Cullen, and you better listen good. Even though this pissant will be convicted, you can't go traipsing all over town with Bella right away. You got that?"

I reach up and remove his hands then straighten my suit jacket before stepping up in his face. "I understand that, _Chief_," I spit at him. "But what happens between me and Bella after this trial is none of your business anymore. Do _you_ got that?"

His whole head is red by this point and I'm almost sure if it explodes, it'll take the whole courtroom with it. He pokes his finger in my chest repeatedly as he speaks. "You listen here, boy. That's still my daughter!"

I lift a brow. "Is she?" Then I lean real close to make sure I'm not overheard. "Without a DNA test, it's all speculation. And really, I don't see you jumping to tell her." I lean back and meet his stare with the most sincere expression I can muster. "I love her, Chief, and I _will_ fight for her." I poke him in the chest with my final words and turn to walk away.

"Cullen," he calls out. "One more thing." I turn and face him. "We've got Internal Affairs investigating the shooting. You'll be meeting with the agent soon."

With a nod, I turn and leave the courtroom.

WS

I grab a bite to eat then start making my way home for the day. Not even a few turns later, I notice a suspicious car in my rearview mirror. I take a couple extra turns, just to see if it follows.

It does.

I slide my cell out of my pocket and dial the chief's number, hitting the speaker phone.

"Detective?"

"Yeah, listen, I've got a tail. I'll be home shortly." I end the call and keep my eyes trained on the car following me.

When I make it to my drive, I turn in and enter the garage, being sure to leave the door open. I exit my car and walk around the house. I catch a quick glance of the suspicious vehicle parking on the street before I unlock the front door and go inside.

I'm already loosening my tie as I enter. I walk straight to my bedroom and remove my suit, hanging it back in the closet. I throw on a pair of jeans and roll up my shirt sleeves before I head into the kitchen and grab a beer.

After I make my way to the living room, I walk over and peak out of the blinds. The car is parked across from my neighbors, its two occupants still inside. Just as I'm about to turn away, I notice an unmarked car turn into my street.

Take that, fuckers!

I settle in my recliner and turn the TV to the news. Something I hope can take my mind off all the things I experienced today. From testifying myself to watching Bella on the stand, Rose's reaction when she connected the dots and then Alice's abrupt departure, it all swirls in my mind and I'm unable to shut off the thoughts.

There's no way James Hunter is walking away from this trial a free man. My girl did a fantastic job handing him his ass on that stand. She stayed calm and to the point, not allowing the defense to shake her. When the jurors saw the video that was entered into evidence, the expressions ranged from shock to disgust.

He's as good as convicted.

My mind wanders to Rose and her anger at me. I take a deep breath and release it in one long, slow exhale. I can't really blame her though. I shouldn't have allowed myself to be in a position like this—in love with a witness, a _nineteen-year-old _witness. Hell _any_ witness. It was obvious from Rose's reaction that she had no clue about our relationship, but I can understand her point. It's something she's going to have to get over though, because I intend to win my girl back no matter who has a problem with it.

My phone rings. "Cullen."

"My officers just picked up two thugs casing your place. We've got them in interrogation rooms as I speak. You want to come in and question them?" Chief asks.

I mull it over in my head for a few seconds. "You got IDs on them yet?"

"We do. We think they're the two that went to the shelter looking for Bella."

"You think you can get a confession out of them? Maybe play them against each other," I suggest.

"Oh yeah, won't even be an issue with these two idiots. They're not the brightest crayons in the box. We could probably tell them we've got some of the girls coming in for a voice lineup. They'd buy that load of bullshit." He chuckles darkly.

"Sounds like you've got it under control then. Keep me posted?" I ask.

"You bet." The line goes silent.

My mind immediately goes back to earlier today. I'm actually surprised Rose was allowed near Bella before the trial, but no matter how pissed she is at me right now, she's a good person and she'll fight for what's right for Bella. She just needs to learn that that's me. I'm what's right for Bella. Maybe even Bella herself needs a refresher, and I'll make sure I'm there to give it to her when the time is right.

There are still some things I need to come to terms with, for myself. I struggle with our ages. I struggle with the positions we were in when we allowed _us_ to form. I struggle with the thought that she's so young and has her whole life ahead of her. I struggle wondering if I should insert myself into that life. But as much as I struggle, I can't live without her. I won't live without her. It's too painful.

I kill off my first beer and go to the fridge for another. Thoughts of Bella litter my mind with every room I enter. Of course I hadn't realized that I loved her when we were here. I was still resisting, but she'd already taken hold. We were already headed down that inevitable path.

Three beers later and I'm already yawning. I check the time and see it's going on nine. I decide this is it for my pity party and kill the last beer off heading for the trashcan. Turning the lights off along the way, I enter my bedroom.

My phone rings again. "Cullen," I answer.

"We got them," Chief says without any greeting.

I smile. "Good."

"No, Cullen, not just good. It's fantastic! They admitted to the break-in at the women's shelter and are prepared to testify that James is who hired them." His voice lowers. "He hired them to _kill_ Bella." The rage is obvious in his tone.

"They're going to rat James out? For attempted murder?" I ask, not quite believing what I'm hearing.

"Well, after we tricked them into a confession, they didn't have much choice. It was either tell us who hired them or face life in prison. We cut a deal in exchange for their testimony against James," he states matter-of-factly.

"What kind of deal?" I remain skeptical while I wait for his response.

"The kind where they agree to serve only ten years instead." His voice is ripe with excitement.

"Yeah, Chief, but that means bringing James back to court. I want him sent to prison and left there to rot. Not stinking up this town with days spent on trial again."

"Oh, I'm sure after his first murder conviction, the prosecutor won't have any problem convincing him to take a plea on the next one. It'll add more time to his sentence," he says smugly.

I smile. "You sneaky old dog. Still trying to hang with us young bucks, huh?" I chuckle.

He laughs outright. "Well I don't know if I'd consider you one of those young bucks or not. But, son, being a cop is like having sex. With age comes experience."

I smirk, thinking he couldn't be further from the truth. "Not necessarily, Chief. Not necessarily." I end the call with those parting words.

WS

The following day finds me at the courthouse bright and early again. Of course I don't have to be here anymore, but this case is important. I want to see that slimy bastard put behind bars so my Bella can roam free. Build a life. One outside of prostitution and hiding out. So here I'll sit, every single day, until this case is over and a verdict is reached.

Up today we'll hear from someone from forensics, the chief and Officer McCarty. That should do it for the prosecution. You don't get much better evidence than an actual video recording of the murder.

When I enter the courtroom, Prosecutor Black nods me to his table. "Detective Cullen," he says as I approach.

I hold out my hand. "Prosecutor."

"I guess you know about the arrests from yesterday?" he asks while we shake hands.

I nod and withdraw my hand. "I do. Are you thinking about bringing them in to testify in this trial?"

He shakes his head. "It wouldn't be much help, as it's irrelevant to this trial. Nothing in their statements point to them knowing why they were after Bella, just that they were being paid to take her out. After this conviction, it'll be easy to get a guilty plea from him, though."

I slide my hands in my pockets. "Yep, seems like Hunter's going to spend a long time behind bars."

He glances to the defense table. "If I have anything to do with it, it'll be several lifetimes. Ms. Higginbotham is one strong woman. I admire her courage in bringing this man to justice."

I nod, careful to keep my face blank. "I agree. We'd never have gotten this far without her."

He studies my face then leans closer. "I'll be glad when this trial is behind us all. Bella needs a fresh start and a real man to show her that we're not all like that." He gives me a wink and leans back.

My jaw clenches and my body turns to stone. Is he referring to himself? I breathe in and out, hoping to calm myself before speaking.

In through the nose, out through the mouth.

I allow my muscles to relax and chuckle darkly. "Careful, Prosecutor. You wouldn't want to say anything that would get you recused from this case, would you? _Ms. Higginbotham_ is off limits." I turn and make my way to my seat without looking his way again.

Shortly after testimony starts, Alice slides into the pew beside me. I glance over to her and raise a brow. I'm surprised she's here at all, and even more that she's late. Alice is never late for anything.

She shrugs and focuses her attention on the goings on of court. My instincts immediately kick in. They tell me that I'm missing something here.

_One thing at a time, Cullen. _

I turn my attention back to the proceedings and listen to the forensic specialist testify. When he's done, the chief takes the stand. He doesn't have much to add, as he only oversaw the case and showed up after Whitlock's death. After a break for lunch, the court reconvenes and Officer McCarty is called to the stand. His testimony is a little more in-depth since he was involved in the shelter investigation and has also been protecting Bella. When he's done, the prosecution rests their case.

With a couple of hours left in the day, the defense begins to make their case. Its whole basis is meant to point the finger at Bella, make it seem like she was the evil mastermind of some grand plan to set James up. I have to cough, at times, to keep from laughing out loud.

By the time the judge dismisses us for the day, I'm exhausted from sitting in this hard pew and praying that Hunter will take the stand for himself. I need some more comic relief.

Turns out, he doesn't. The next day, the defense calls several witnesses. Nothing revealed during any of their testimony, could in any way have an impact on this case. It's about as cut and dry as they come. Judge Cheney issues the jurors their orders and dismisses the court to wait on the verdict to be reached.

As I stand to make my way from the courtroom, the chief calls for me. "Cullen."

I turn and wait for him to make his way to me. When he catches up, he gives me a handshake and a pat on the back. "Glad to see this case finally go to the jurors, son."

I nod. "Me, too. Hopefully they won't take long deliberating. It's an open and shut case."

He puts his hands on his hips and stands taller. "It is. Prosecutor Black has done one damn fine job on this case."

I roll my eyes. "Chief, a personal injury lawyer could've gotten a conviction on this one." My hand slides through my hair. "There _is_ video evidence of the murder."

He studies my face. "Well, yeah, there is, but he's one of those young bucks like you mentioned the other day." He smirks. "He's a man on a mission up there, getting convictions left and right."

I huff. "If you say so." I sound like a petulant child. "Is that all? I have things I need to do in my office."

"Actually, Detective, we have some official business to take care of. The IA agent has been watching this hearing also. We decided a few introductions might be in order, since he will be questioning you and Bella once this trial is over," he says.

I grit my teeth. "An IA agent has been here, in this courtroom"—I point around the room—"and you didn't think that was something I should know?"

He holds his hands out in front of him. "Now wait a minute. I was contacted Monday and informed of the situation. I just met said agent this morning. That's why I wanted to go ahead and put you in the loop now. Introduce you two. That way you'll be aware and can decide how you're going handle the investigation moving forward."

I sigh and run my hand through my hair. "I'll handle it with the truth … minus a few details."

He steps closer. "Remember, this agent is here to specifically investigate Officer Whitlock's death. The one area where we did bend the truth. We can't mess up."

My eyes turn and scan the bare courtroom before settling back on the chief. "Have you mentioned this to Bella?"

He sighs and looks away. "No, I haven't seen her since I met with the agent." He looks back to me with a pleading expression. "I'm assuming you won't be waiting very long to visit her after the verdict? I'm hoping you'll talk to her about it." He turns away again, his words fading. "She doesn't trust me much."

I nod. "I can."

He sobers up. "Okay, let's get this show on the road." He turns to leave the courtroom, and I follow.

When we exit, he stops and scans the people milling about in the hall. When his eyes catch who he's looking for, he starts in that direction. We approach a man, leaning against the wall, dressed in a suit. But we all are, aren't we? This is a courthouse after all.

"Agent," the chief says, holding out his hand. "Good to see you again. I'd like to introduce you to Detective Cullen." He tilts his head in my direction.

I step forward, arm outstretched. "I hear you're investigating Officer Whitlock's death?"

He nods. "I am. I'm Agent Whitlock. Agent Jasper Whitlock."

My arm goes stiff, still in his grip. "As in, Peter Whitlock?"

He loosens his grip and I allow my arm to fall to my side. "Peter was my older brother, and yes, I will be investigating his death and the events that led him to that fateful day."

I focus on the chief. "What the fuck? Is this some kind of joke?"

Chief shakes his head. "No, son, it's no joke. Agent Whitlock has full authority through Internal Affairs to investigate what happened to Officer Whitlock."

I grip my hair and scrub my face then step up in _Agent Whitlock'_s face. "How do we know we can trust him to run a clean investigation?" I cut my eyes to the chief then back to him. "He just wants to blame anybody that isn't his brother. Find any loophole that makes it not Peter's fault."

He takes a step back. "No, Detective Cullen, that's not why I'm here. I just want to know what led my brother to make the choices that got him killed. I'm not looking for a scapegoat." The pain and sincerity in his eyes say he's telling the truth, but I can't let my guard down.

Not yet.

"Well, if that's true, Agent Whitlock—"

He interrupts. "Please, call me Jasper."

I nod. "Okay then, _Jasper_, if that's true then I'll work with you. It's a question I also need answered."

He holds out his hand. "Good, let's start over. Nice to meet you. I'm Jasper Whitlock."

I grasp it firmly. "Same here. I'm Edward Cullen."

Just then, another voice breaks into our conversation. "Jasper, I've been waiting at your car for ten minutes … Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting?" Alice asks.

What. The. Fuck!

My huge eyes take in her contrite face. _What is she doing here and why is she calling him _Jasper_? _

I step forward. "Alice, what are you doing here? And why are you calling Agent Whitlock Jasper?"

Her eyes jump to his face and confusion takes over her features. "Agent Whitlock?"

"Yes, Agent Whitlock. As in Internal Affairs Agent Jasper Whitlock!" I express harshly.

She gasps. "What?"

"I can explain," Jasper says, holding his hands up in front of him.

She plants her hand on her hip. "I'm waiting."

Then it dawns on me. I push my forearm into his chest and back him up into the wall. "How dare you? Praying on an innocent woman because she just happens to be the lead detective's sister? You think using my sister is going to get you anywhere?"

Alice pulls on my arm. "Edward, stop!" she demands. "This isn't about you!" She lowers her voice. "Just let him go, please."

I loosen my hold and slowly back away. The chief's just standing there, watching the whole scene unfold.

Fucker.

Agent Whitlock turns to Alice. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. My meeting you and what we've shared has nothing to do with my job. I told you I couldn't tell you why I was in town yet, but I would as soon as it was possible. I'm sorry it has to do with your brother. I didn't even know he was until you told me your name." The pleading in his eyes makes me sick. This sick fuck is trying to use my sister to gain case knowledge. Well, I won't stand for it.

Just as I'm about to send him packing, Alice nods. "I understand." She grabs his arm and starts leading him away. "Now, we can't be late for our dinner date." They continue onto the elevator and the doors close, blocking them from my view.

_What in the fuck just happened?_

The chief chuckles from my side. "How's it feel?"

"Huh?"

He laughs outright. "How's it feel to find out that people are going to see who they want, no matter who doesn't like it?"

"Fuck you, old man," I grit out before I turn and make my way down the hall, fists clenched the whole way.

His maniacal laughter trails behind me.

* * *

**YEP! That was the plan allllllll along, ever since we entered the contest.**

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**HUGE, HUGE shout out to ReadiculousMe for calling it in chapter 4! The only person to nail us down exactly with the**** small**** clues we left. She hit them all! CONGRATS!**

**One more smaller shout out to MaryMary123 for at least being in the right ballpark in chapter 3!**

* * *

**See you next time! ****runs and hides******


	7. The Verdict

**AN: As always and forever, thanks to the wonderful team we somehow got lucky enough to help us with this fic. Our pre-readers Mana and Judy and of course the beta skills of the uber talented kitchmill.**

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**BPOV**

Emmett guides me back to the witness room. After testifying and seeing James, dealing with the defense and being close to Edward, my legs are trembling. It doesn't help that I'm in these ridiculously high heels. Thankfully, Emmett is strong enough to support me until we get to the room and I collapse in a chair.

My mind is spinning so fast and my heart is hammering so loudly, I don't even notice Emmett until he's crouched down beside me. "Hey, breathe, Bella. You did great. You were amazing on the stand."

I meet his eyes. "Thanks. I didn't expect it to be quite that difficult. Seeing James was harder than I thought. It helped that Edward was there, but at the same time, it was hard to see him knowing what I said to him."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about any of that. The trial shouldn't take too much longer. The prosecution just has me and a couple more witnesses and then it will be the defense's turn, but there's really not much they can do considering the evidence we have. It should be fast and we all know he's going to be convicted. Then you'll never have to see James Hunter again."

Something he said catches my attention. "Wait, you have to testify?"

"Yeah. I go after the chief."

Hope starts to bloom. "Will Edward be in here with me while you're on the stand?"

"Uh, no. It'll be the chief. Sorry."

I smile at him. "It's okay. So, how much longer are we here for today?"

I'm done talking about anything serious so Emmett allows me to change the subject. "The chief will come and let us know when it's time for us to go. I imagine it won't be too long."

A knock on the door catches our attention. Emmett opens it and Rose breezes in. "Hey, baby." She gives him a sweet kiss then turns toward me. "Bella, I just wanted to come check on you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good now. Glad that part's over."

"Okay, well I better go since you'll be leaving soon. I'm definitely coming back tomorrow, though. We need to talk." "She turns and leaves the room so quickly I can't quite make out her expression.

Just minutes after Rose leaves, the door opens and Emmett immediately stands and reaches toward his weapon. The prosecutor enters the room. "Black, what are you doing? We weren't `expecting you." Em eases back down into his seat.

"I wanted to come in and personally thank Miss Higginbotham on a job well done." He turns to me. "You did a great job on the stand. You had the jury eating out of the palm of your hand."

"Thanks. You made the first part easy, so thank you for that."

"Well that's my job. It's why I get paid the big bucks." He winks at me.

"So do you think James will definitely be convicted?" I want all the reassurance I can get.

He leans against the table and crosses his arms. "No doubt. I didn't get to be the youngest prosecuting attorney in this town by letting the guilty walk free. This guy will be going away for a long time. Don't worry, Isabella." He uncrosses his arms and puts one hand on my shoulder.

I know someone being flirty when I see it. He's nice enough to look at, but I'm definitely not interested. I move away slightly so his hand drops from my shoulder. "I prefer Bella actually, and that's really good to know. I hope James goes away for a long time."

Emmett comes to stand beside me. "Black, the chief should be here soon so we need to get ready to head out."

"Sure, sure. I'll see you again soon, Bella."

Finally Swan shows up and leads us back to our car, and we head back to the house.

The next morning is pretty much a repeat of the day before, except I'm not quite as nervous since I've already testified.

Even though I'm suspicious about what Rose wants to talk about, I'm still looking forward to seeing her. I like Em and he's a great guy, but it gets really boring in here just the two of us.

Thankfully she shows up pretty soon after we arrive. Emmett greets her with his usual kiss, then makes his way to the other side of the room. I'm not sure if he's trying to give us privacy or simply has no interest in whatever we may talk about.

Soon enough he whips out his phone and we can hear the sounds of some game blaring from it. Not long after that, the sounds of curses and grunts start to slip from him as he loses against whatever force he's up against. Rose just smirks at him and shakes her head before turning those baby blues to me.

"You did so great on the stand yesterday. I'm amazed at how strong you truly are. I couldn't have stayed as calm and held it together like you did. Especially having that vulture slam you with questions with James sitting right there. I'm sure it didn't help that Edward was there either."

"Thanks. It'll all be worth it if James gets convicted. But, um, why would Edward being there bother me?"

She strokes my hand. "Oh, Bella. I had no idea he took advantage of you. I've known Edward for a while and I never would have expected something like that from him."

I yank my hand away. "What the fuck are you talking about, Rose?"

"I know he slept with you. He took advantage of his position watching over you and probably used his age to his advantage. If you want to talk to chief Swan …"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. Edward didn't take advantage of me."

She runs her hand down my hair. "Oh, Bella, sweetie …"

I move my head. "I'm serious. If anything, I took advantage of him. I'm not some poor innocent girl, Rose. When he met me I was a prostitute, not a wallflower. I did everything in my power to seduce him."

"He could have said no, Bella. As a matter of fact, he should have. It was his job to keep you safe, not take advantage of you. I'm sure you didn't have to try very hard to get him into bed."

I hit the table. "Rose! Look, what happened between Edward and me is none of your business. All you need to know is that he _never_ took advantage of me."

She wants to argue, but I'm sure she can tell that it won't go over well with me. Finally she nods. "Fine. But you're not still with him, right?"

"Not right now. I kind of fucked that up by being a bitch to him."

"What do you mean? How did you mess things up?"

I fill her in on the whole thing. By the time I'm finished, she stands up and marches over to Emmett. "Did you tell her to make Edward leave?"

Seeing this big strong guy look scared of his beautiful blonde wife is quite the sight. "Uh … um … yes?"

"You did?"

"Yes, but only because it's best for Edward. Baby, you know how much that man loves his job."

"I know he loves his job, but, Em, what if he finally found something he loves more? And what about poor Bella? Is it fair to make her say those things to him and make decisions for him?"

He starts rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, when you put it like that …" He looks at me. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm an idiot."

"It's okay, Em. Once this trial's over I'm going to apologize and tell him the truth. Hopefully, he can forgive me. Really, though, I'm not going to give him a choice. I want him and I will get him back."

Rose raises a brow.

"What? When it comes to Edward, confidence isn't something I lack. Plus, some things are worth fighting for."

"If you're sure. He's not your only option. There are plenty of great guys your age. Hell, you don't even need to be thinking about guys right now if you don't want to. You can focus on other things."

I like Rose, but she doesn't know me that well and she definitely doesn't know what's best for me. "Rose, I appreciate that you're trying to look out for me, but Edward is what I want."

"Okay. I won't say anything else about it … for now. I did have something else I wanted to talk to you about, though."

I narrow my eyes at her. "What?"

"Don't look at me like that. I just want to know what your plans are, for after the trial?"

"Oh. Uh, I'm not sure yet. I'll figure something out."

"I've been thinking and was wondering if you want to stay with Emmett and me."

I glance over to Em who's focused back on his game. "And how does he feel about your offer?"

"He'll be fine with it. Trust me."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine. I don't need charity."

She raises a brow. "I don't do charity. You can pay us rent or something after we find you a job. We'll figure something out. But it's not charity."

"Rose, I just …"

"Listen. I know you don't know me that well and trust doesn't come easily to you. But I swear, there're no strings attached with this offer. Just consider it a temporary solution until you can figure something else out, okay?"

"Can I think about it?"

"Sure, but don't take long. From what I hear this trial should be over pretty soon."

I agree, and we chat a bit longer before there's a knock on the door. Emmett goes to answer it and Swan walks in.

"McCarty, I'm supposed to send you out. You're up next."

Rose gathers up her things. "Will you be okay if I go out there and watch Emmett? I'd like to be there for him."

I roll my eyes. "I'll be fine. Good luck, Em."

With a quick thanks called my way, they're out the door and I'm left with Swan.

He stands there dressed in his uniform holding his cap. He's uncomfortable and nervous. I remember the way he helped me in the courtroom and decide to be nice, or as nice as I can be to this man.

"Have a seat, Chief. I won't bite." I pull out my book while he sits and loosens his tie a little.

I'm just getting into a new paragraph when he starts talking. "What are your plans after the trial? Are you still looking for your father?"

"I'm not sure yet."

I try to start reading again.

"Are you going to stay in town?"

"Probably, but I'm not certain."

"I'm still willing to show you around and tell you what I know about your mother and her family."

I sigh and finally put down my book. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

He puts his hat on the table and crosses his arms. "No? I thought you wanted to know more. I can definitely help you."

"But I don't want you to. I don't trust you. I don't really know you, but what I do know is that you're an asshole. I don't want anything from you. After this trial, I really hope I never see you again."

He looks really upset at my words. I'm not sure why though. Maybe he's just never had anyone speak to him like that.

Finally, he clears his throat, and this time when he speaks it's much quieter. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I'm hoping we can put that behind us after all this is over."

I scrunch up my brow. "Why? I mean what do you care? You haven't flirted with me or come on to me so I don't think you like me that way. So why do you even care if we ever see each other again or if I like you or not?"

"I guess … maybe"—he grabs his hat and starts fidgeting with it—"I guess because I knew your mother and that makes me feel closer to you."

"Oh. Well, I don't know what my mother was like when you knew her, but trust me, we aren't close."

"I'd like to hear about her and about your life growing up with her."

I snort. "Are you in love with my mother? She's married. I really don't want to talk about any of this anymore." I pick up my book to show him I'm done with this conversation.

The rest of the time he's with me is spent in silence, other than the sound of me turning pages or the occasional squeak of leather as he shifts in his seat. After what seems like hours, but apparently is only about forty-five minutes, I'm beyond grateful when Emmett comes back in.

Later that night after we have eaten, I go back to my room. I have a lot of thinking to do.

The trial really is coming to a close soon. I know the prosecution finished up their part today and the defense doesn't have many witnesses to call on their side. According to everyone I've spoken to about it, the whole thing could be over within days. Where does that leave me? I have no home, no job, no skills to get a real job and, for right now, no Edward.

I'm going to get Edward back. I can't let myself doubt that. That's not an option. But this time we'll be together in the real world. No safe bubble to hide in. How will Edward really feel being with someone so much younger who used to be a prostitute and doesn't even have a high school diploma?

I hold the pillow to my face and scream out my frustrations. I'm not an insecure girl and I've never been ashamed of anything I've done or haven't done. This whole situation with being in hiding and the trial has fucked up my head. I need to get my shit together.

I grab my notebook and a pen and flip it to a blank page. Across the top I write:

_Things I Need to Do_

_1\. Get Edward back!_

I chew on my pen and think for a minute before something comes to me. It's something I've thought about fleetingly many times before, but never really considered. Maybe now is the time. So I stop chewing and write.

_2\. Get my GED_

_3\. Get a job. _

Those sound easy enough. Unfortunately I know it'll be anything but. I'm a determined woman, so I'll figure something out … I hope.

_4\. Find a place to live. _

Again, this one sounds easy enough, but it's not going to be. I lean back against the headboard and think. Even though the idea of living with Emmett and Rose makes me uncomfortable, it seems to be my only option right now since living on the streets isn't at all appealing. I do like Rose, and Emmett has become a decent friend, but I don't need charity from anyone and something about Rose just makes my stomach feel funny. I think it's because she seems to genuinely care and want to help. No woman has ever really been like that with me and it isn't something I'm used to or able to accept easily.

_5\. Figure out the rest of my life._

I'm not going to figure everything out tonight or even this week. There're still so many things I have to decide. I'm not sure college is for me, but I can't imagine working at McDonald's will be okay with me for the rest of my life.

I also need to decide if I do want to try to find out who my father is. Is that still important to me? I'm not really sure at this point. It used to seem like the most important thing in the world, but I just don't see how it can change anything in my life now. At the same time, I can't help but still want to know who he is. To know if I look like him. Will he be happy to meet me?

I put my notebook and pen down and flip off my lights. I get as comfortable as I'm able to and try to shut off my mind. When that doesn't work, I settle for recalling some of my best memories of Edward and drift off to sleep with a smile on my face.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The closing arguments have been given and it's in the jury's hands now. Emmett and I are once again waiting in the room we've been hidden in since the day I testified. I know I'm driving him insane pacing around. I can't help but be nervous about the verdict. We're both happy to see Rose when she comes to visit.

Emmett greets her first. "Hey, babe. I'm so glad to see you. Maybe you can get her"—he points at me—"to settle down."

I huff and roll my eyes. "I haven't been that bad."

"Dude, there's a path worn into the carpet from all the walking you've done."

I flip him off while Rose just laughs. She takes my hand. "Come on. Let's sit down and talk for a while."

"Fine." I let her drag me over to some chairs.

Once we're seated, she grabs the book I have sitting out. I've been bringing it every day, but have been way too anxious today to read.

"Hmm, _The Lover _by Marguerite Duras_. _Have you read it yet?"

I snort. "I've read it more times than I can count. I love it."

"I don't think I've ever heard of it. What's it about?"

"It's set in French Colonial Vietnam. There's this French girl right on the brink of becoming a woman. Her family has fallen into hard times financially. One day on her way back to her boarding school she meets a man. He's an older wealthy businessman. They become lovers. He truly loves her, but gives in to his father and eventually ends the affair. Only later on does she realize that she truly loved him too. It's beautiful and sad."

Rose stares at me for several minutes and I'm not sure what she's thinking, but it's like she can see straight into my soul. Finally, she drops her eyes for a second before speaking. "You like to read?"

"I love to read. But I need to get some new books since I've read all the ones I have."

She places the book down and looks at me with a grin that screams she's up to something. "Well … I love to read too."

"Yeah?"

"Yep. And I'm always getting new books."

"Okay," I say hesitantly. I know she's going somewhere with this.

"When I do get new books, I never get rid of my old ones. It drives Emmett insane. We have bookshelves filled with books I've read and even boxes full of books tucked into a closet."

"What's your point, Rose? Are you trying to rub in how much more you have?" I cross my arms.

"What? No! Of course not. You've got to stop assuming the worst about people."

"Sorry, but that's a life lesson I'm not sure I'll be letting go of anytime soon."

"I can understand that, to an extent, but I think I've been a good friend. Or at least I'm trying to be as much as you'll let me. I haven't given you any reason to think badly about me, right?"

Clearly I've hurt her feelings. "No. You haven't done anything. You've been good to me. I'm sorry. I'm a bitch."

She giggles. "Hey, I understand all about being a bitch. I'm just saying make sure you have an actual reason."

We both laugh and it feels good to let go of some of the anxiety I've been gripped by all day. "So, um, what were you trying to say about all your books?"

"I'm not sure if I should tell you now."

"Rose." I drag out her name and give her my best bitchbrow.

"Fine. No need to give me that look. What I was trying to say earlier is that I have all these books at my house just sitting there, wanting to be read. If you were to live with us, you'd have access to all of them."

"Oh really?"

"Mmm hmm. You'd also have your own room and your own bathroom. The mattress is new and it's a comfort top … really soft. Plus, our kitchen is always fully stocked. With Em in the house it has to be."

"Okay, you've convinced me."

Her eyes go wide. "Are you serious? I thought I'd have to work much harder."

"I've been thinking, and I do want to get my life together. Living with you and Emmett will be a step in the right direction … as long as you're both sure."

"We're sure. So when are you moving in?"

"I guess after the trial, if that's okay. If you need more time, I can figure something else out."

"Nope. That's perfect. We can go back to the safe house to get your things and then go home and get you settled in as soon as this whole mess is finally over."

I look at her sincerely. "Thank you, Rose."

She covers my hand with hers. "It really is our pleasure, Bella."

We chat and discuss favorite books for a bit longer until there's a knock at the door. Emmett opens it and speaks with whoever is there before closing it again. He turns back to us. "The jury is ready. We need to go into the courtroom to hear the verdict." He walks up to me. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Rose grabs my hand. "Let's go watch them find this sonofabitch guilty."

The three of us make our way into the courtroom. My eyes immediately find Edward. Emmett leads us to the bench he's sitting on. Rose tries to slide in first, but I pull on her hand. She looks back at me, and I let her see that no one is sitting next to Edward other than me. I slide in front of her and scoot in. Rose follows behind me, then Emmett.

I turn to Edward, but before I can speak the judge calls the courtroom to order and brings the jury back in. Not even looking at him, I allow my hand to seek his out and twine our fingers together, pulling them down on the bench between us. I know Swan's probably somewhere watching and this definitely isn't the time to cause any issues, but right now I need to touch him in some way.

Judge Cheney asks the jury for the verdict. "We, the jury, find the defendant, James Hunter, guilty of murder in the first degree."

For the first time in a while, complete relief rushes through me. James is out of my life for good. The judge thanks the jury and schedules a date for sentencing before dismissing them. The guards come to take James. Until now, he's just sat there silent and still, but as soon as they touch him, he goes crazy.

He stands up and looks around until he finds me. "You bitch! You'll pay for this!" The guards are struggling to cuff him. His eyes look completely insane. "I mean it, I'll get you, bitch!" The guards get him cuffed and drag him away, but that doesn't stop his yelling. "You're dead, bitch! Dead!"

Rose tries to comfort me, but I shake her off. "I'm okay. He can't do anything. It's fine."

A slight squeeze of my hand reminds me I'm still holding onto Edward. I meet his eyes. They're filled with such longing. "We need to speak soon, Bella."

"I know." I squeeze him back before pulling away. "Soon." His hand drops to the bench.

Then Rose interrupts. "You ready? Chief Swan is motioning for us."

"Yeah, I'm ready." I give Edward one more smile before sliding out and following Rose.

When I reach her she grabs my hand. "Let's go home, Bella." I follow Rose over to Swan.

* * *

**The verdict is in. Hopefully Bella can put this part of her life behind her and move on. The question is … will things go like she wants? How will she handle a normal life? Something tells me Bella will never lead a normal life. Lol. And what about finding out she might already know her father? Stay tuned! **

**See you all soon… XOXO**


	8. The Right Way

**Special thanks to Mana and Judyblue for prereading this bad boy, and as always the super, duper, amazing kitchmill for her beta skillz.**

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**EPOV**

I allow my hand to drop to the pew between us and remain seated long after she's gone, just feeling, remembering what it's like to have her near, touching me. I was surprised when she slid in beside me, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine she'd reach out to me like that.

When James started spewing his bullshit, it was all I could do to not charge across the courtroom and kill him. But Bella needed me more. She needed me to ground her, bring her out of the daze his rage had caused and back to the present. I'm glad I was able to do that for her.

It's finally over. This trial has came to its end and James is going away for a long time. Bella's free. She's free to live her life out in the open. Sure, we might have to worry that a lacky of James' could still be out there, but she can't hide forever. It's time for her to live again, or maybe to start living at all.

Has she ever had a real life? I'm not sure of the answer to that question. All of our conversations in the past lead me to think she hasn't. It's time for me to show her what that's like. To see what her dreams are and help her accomplish them.

A body slides in beside me and a cool, small hand covers mine. "I'm happy for you. She seems like a special person," Alice says.

"She is," I reply, not looking at her.

"So, you're together?" she asks softly.

My eyes meet hers. "We were, but I think you gathered that already. Is this your attempt to get more information for your boyfriend?" I scoff.

She pulls her hand back. "Oh, Edward, get over yourself. I'd never bleed you for information to pass along to _anyone_, much less Jasper."

She starts to stand, but I grab her arm, stopping her. "Wait, Ali, I'm sorry. I know you'd never do that, but it doesn't mean I trust Jasper not to try and trick you."

She rolls her eyes. "Jasper's not the enemy here. He just wants to find out what happened to his brother. How he lost his way. I thought you'd want the same thing since he was your friend. To be honest, Edward, you're acting like you're guilty of something with the way you're reacting to Jasper being here."

I blow out a deep breath and run my hand through my hair. "I am guilty, Ali. Guilty of sleeping with a witness. Guilty of falling in love with a girl I was charged with protecting. If that gets out, it could be cause for a mistrial."

She places her hand on my cheek, turning my face toward her. "Oh, Edward, falling in love isn't a crime. I understand your concern about your past relationship with Bella, but that has nothing to do with the facts Jasper's after. He's a good man. Please, just give him a chance and see for yourself. You won't be disappointed, I promise."

"I'll try." I blow out a breath. "I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best to give him a fair shot."

She smiles. "That's all I can ask for. Now, tell me, when am I going to officially meet Bella?"

And the headaches keep coming. "Fuck, Ali, I don't know. It's complicated right now."

"Complicated how?" she asks.

I allow my eyes to survey the courtroom before settling back on hers. "We haven't really spoken since the shooting. She sorta sent me away."

"And you're going to let that keep you away now that the trial is over? I know my big brother well, and this doesn't sound like him. He'll go after whatever he wants." Her voice is strong, confident.

I allow my eyes to wander to the Judge's bench. "What if she doesn't want me anymore?"

She giggles. "Never. The man sitting beside me is one of the most determined men I know. If he wants something, he'll stop at nothing to get it. I bet that's already your next move. So, go, work it out, and when you've done that, I expect to be the first person you introduce her to."

I allow a small smile to curl on my lips, thinking how well my sister knows me. I stand and hold out an arm to assist her. "You'll be the first, I promise."

She takes my elbow and allows me to lead her from the courtroom. "Good, and in the meantime, maybe you can get together with Jasper and me. Something simple, like a drink at Newtons?" She raises a brow, daring me to defy her.

I chuckle. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." He's already standing at the elevator waiting for her. "Now go, your guy's waiting." I tilt my head in his direction.

Her eyes follow my motion and a huge smile forms on her lips. She turns back and gives me a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, big bro. See you soon!"

She walks off down the hall as if she's floating in a daze to the man of her dreams. And I guess he could be. That's something I need to wrap my head around, but for Alice, I'll do anything.

Now it's time to focus on me, decide what my next move is going to be. I definitely plan on seeing Bella as soon as humanly possible, but don't know how easy that's going to be with guard dog Rose on the case. She seemed to know exactly where Bella was headed. I guess a call to Emmett is in my near future.

Making my way to my car, I whistle and twirl my keys on my finger. Things are finally falling into place. Hopefully I'll have everything I want in my life after talking to Bella. Those months spent with her showed me how much I was truly missing, and now that I know, I need it again.

I head into the office to catch up on the latest case-wise. I haven't been very present here as a detective for a good while and now it's time to jump back in the game. I start with the mound of paperwork I neglected last week, including my report on the perps following me home the other day.

When most of that's done, I decide it's time for a break, which is really code for time to call Emmett.

He answers on the first ring. "McCarty."

"Hey, Emmett. It's Edward."

He chuckles into the line. "Yeah, I know who it is. I was actually wondering what was taking you so long."

I sigh in relief. Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought. "Just getting some paperwork caught up, but, um, yeah"—I clear my throat—"how, um, how's Bella?" Listen to me, stuttering like a teenager. "No, fuck that, I mean where's Bella?"

He full out belly laughs now. "Chill, man, she's safe."

I grit my teeth. "That's not what I asked. I want to know where she is."

He sighs. "Damn, you're not even giving it a day, are you?"

"It's already been too many days." I grip my hair, feeling like I'll lose my mind if I have to wait another minute for him to tell me what I want to know.

"I hear you, man. Listen, just take a deep breath and blow it out." I do as he says. "Feel better now?"

"Not really. Emmett, I just need to know where I can find her. The trial's over and we don't have to be apart anymore. I know that's what she was doing, by pushing me away I mean."

"Shit, shit, shit …"

"What the fuck, man. What's that all about?" I grip my cell tighter.

"Shit, man, sorry. I mean I _am_ sorry for that. It was my fault," he says sadly.

"What do you mean? What was your fault?" I ask, confused at his change in demeanor.

The line is silent for a few seconds before he speaks. "It was my fault Bella pushed you away. I encouraged her, and I realize now that I might've been wrong, but …"

"Wait, hold the fuck up. Did you say you _told_ her to push me away?" I snap.

"Yeah, man, but hear me out. I was thinking of you and your job."

I interrupt again. "Who gives a fuck about this job? _She's_ worth more than that to me."

"Just stop it and listen!" he yells into the line. "I _know_ how much she means to you, but whether you want to admit it or not, you love your job. You would've lost it all just for the chief to move her again. Somewhere you wouldn't know about. At least this way you were able to do your little spy gig."

Fuck, he's right. I'd have lost my job and still been kept away from Bella, but he had no business making decisions for me like that. I rein in my anger. "Look, Emmett, you're right. I do love my job and wasn't thinking right at the time, but it still wasn't your place."

"I know and I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me, though. I'd hate to think I'm losing a friend over my idiotic tendencies," he apologizes.

Then it hits me, a way for him to make it up to me. "How about this: you tell me where Bella is and keep your wife off my ass, and we'll call it even."

He chuckles, back to his jolly self. "Well, I can definitely keep Rosie off your ass since she crawled mine over the whole situation."

"What?" I stop him.

He huffs. "Yeah, man, Bella told her all about it and she jumped down my shit. I was scared for my life."

Now I'm the one chuckling, just imagining huge-ass Emmett trembling in terror.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. One day you'll be in the very same position. Besides, don't you want to know where Bella is?"

I sober instantly. "Hell, yes. You know I do."

"She's at my house."

"Your house?" I ask confused.

"Yeah, Rosie's trying to be a good friend. You know, show her what it's like to have a real friend. And honestly, I think it's the best place for her right now. She'll be safe and can decide what's next for her."

I relax back in my chair. "You're right, Emmett. I think your house is the best place for her, but you can still expect a visit from me later this evening. She and I need to talk."

"I never expected anything else, but listen, man, don't go trying to convince her to leave. She needs to start a life outside of you two first," he tells me.

"Don't worry, I'm going to do things right this time around. Time to show her what a real relationship begins like, not the hidden secret kind," I reply, already considering how I intend to approach her this time.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that, man. For both your sakes." He sounds relieved, and I guess he should be. I need to stay smart and form a plan. A plan to woo my girl … the right way.

I lean up and prop on my desk. "All right, thanks for all the info. I guess I'll see you this evening."

"Nah, I think not. Maybe I'll take Rosie out to a well-deserved dinner, say seven o'clock?" he suggests.

I sigh in relief. "Thanks, man. We'll talk soon?"

"You bet. Later." The call ends and my mind starts to lay out a plan. A plan for this evening and a plan for moving forward.

After clearing away the paperwork I did today, I get up and head out of my office. Time to pay a little visit to the chief. He has some decisions to make and it's damn well time he does. I won't be in the middle of this any longer.

There won't be any secrets between Bella and me this time around.

I knock lightly on his door before pushing it open and peeking around it. His head raises at the intrusion. "Cullen, didn't expect you'd still be here."

I slide my hands in my pockets. "Yeah, on my way out now. I thought I'd stop in and have a chat with you before I left."

He rubs his forehead. "Sounds ominous." He motions to the chair across from him. "Have a seat."

I ease down and decide I better get to the point. "Chief, I'm going to see Bella today."

He nods. "I figured as much."

I sigh and lean forward, propping my elbows on my knees. "It's probably not what you think, though. I know we can't jump into anything right away. Hell, I don't plan on that anyway. I'm just going to clear the air … start fresh." I make eye contact. "And that means no secrets."

Recognition dawns on his face. "Ah, I see." He leans forward, straightening some papers on his desk. "Edward, I just don't know how to tell her. She already hates my guts, and now I've kept it from her. She isn't going want anything to do with me."

"I'm sorry, Chief, but you have to tell her or I will. I can't have this come between us. She might hate me for knowing when she finds out." I scrub my hands through my hair.

This whole situation is a mess. It's not like the chief planned for this to happen, but it did, and keeping it from her is liable to be the final nail in his coffin. Mine, too, unless I can convince her the timing was off. She did send me away before I had a chance to even consider telling her.

"Fuck!" His hands slam onto the desk, papers scatter. "I've been dreading this day, but knew it was coming." He looks back to me. "I'll tell her … tomorrow, I'll go see her tomorrow."

I nod, assured he'll follow through. "I appreciate it. Let me know when you're done so I can do damage control."

An evil smiles forms on his lips. "Damage control, huh?" He twirls his mustache. "Maybe I can work this to my advantage, somehow make it all your fault."

I raise a brow. "Not if I tell her first."

He snaps his fingers. "Damn it, you always have to win." He smirks and then allows a serious expression to settle over his features. "I know you're going to her, but please be careful. We don't need any suspicions thrown our way."

"I know, Chief. I won't mess this up. For the case or for Bella," I tell him, hoping he'll understand my meaning.

With a nod from him, I stand and exit his office.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

When I pull into Rose and Emmett's driveway, I notice Emmett's car is missing and there are barely any lights on in the house. Bella's here alone. It's just what I'd hoped for, but it causes the nerves to start building. I sit behind the wheel, taking deep breaths in hopes of calming the butterflies that have settled in my stomach.

This is the moment we've been waiting for. Why do I suddenly feel like a teenager about to ask his girlfriend to prom? This is Bella. I love her. It should be easy. Somehow I don't think it'll be the walk in the park I'm imagining.

Taking one final deep breath, I exit the car and make my way to the front door. "_You can do this, Cullen_," I tell myself as I'm walking up the steps.

Just as I reach my hand up to knock, the front door opens and an arm appears, pulling me inside. My body's slammed into the door as soon as it closes. Bella's standing in front of me, her fists twined in my shirt.

"I can't believe you're finally here, in front of me and alone." Her hands slide up to twine behind my neck. "It felt like this moment would never come."

Her lips raise up to mine and I'm lost. Lost in the smoothness of them as they make contact. Lost in the way her tongue slides across my lips, enticing me to open. Lost to the feel of her body under my hands as they curl around her back, pulling her closer. Lost in this moment of being together again.

My hands slide up and fist her hair as my mouth twists and turns, trying to get closer, delve deeper. Moans begin to build in her throat, and I can't make myself stop. This was never my plan, and here I am devouring her like the last drop of water on Earth.

She has me pinned against the door and practically crawls up my body. Her moans turn into pants and my body is hard and ready. I have to stop this. Not like this, this isn't how it's supposed to happen.

I release her hair and slide my hands around to cup her cheeks then begin to slow our passion down. From frazzled and frenzied to soft and easy. I slowly pull my mouth away and lean my forehead against hers, our panting breaths the only sound in the room.

She pulls me closer and begins peppering kisses along my jaw toward my neck. The feelings rushing through me are familiar, passion and want, but I can't succumb. We have to do this right, and for that, I need to put some distance between us.

I grab her arms and move her back, creating a void between us. She pushes back against my hold, trying to get closer.

"I'm sorry, Bella, but we can't start like this again."

She halts her movements almost immediately and crosses her arms. "Of course not, _Detective_. Whatever was I thinking?" She turns to walk away.

"No." I grab her arm. "Not this time. I'm here for _you_, but we won't just jump into bed and forget all that's happened."

Her face softens and she nods. "Follow me."

She leads me into Rose and Emmett's den where I choose to sit in the recliner. Not because I don't want to be near her, but because I can't. If she were to turn on all that is Bella, I'd have no chance at denying her.

"So, you're here," she says. "What now?"

I scrub my hands down my face and look her in the eye. "There're a few things we need to talk about … before we talk about us."

"Us?" she asks.

I roll my eyes. "Yes, us. I already know what Emmett did. He confessed this afternoon."

She smirks. "Yeah, he told me, right before rushing Rose out the door. I figured you'd be by here."

I wave my hands. "Well, here I am." I smirk.

Her eyebrow lifts. "Don't tempt me."

My mouth goes dry. "You're right, sorry," I squeak out then clear my throat. "So, um, there's something I need to tell you. I don't want you getting worried, it has nothing to do with us."

She nods for me to continue.

"There's an Internal Affairs agent in town." I stop and gauge her reaction. She's unimpressed. "He's here to investigate Officer Whitlock's death."

"What?" She stands and starts pacing, panic lacing her tone.

I go to her. "Bella, listen to me." I turn her to face me. "He has no suspicions that anything we testified to wasn't true. He's only here to find out how his brother ended up in that position. I'm going to help him with the case. Those are answers I want, too."

"But what if he does find out about the lie that the chief cooked up?" She moves away and crosses her arms. "Why did you even go along with it in the first place?" she asks accusingly.

"It was for the best." I sigh.

"The best for who? The chief? You?" She taps her foot, waiting for an answer that will appease her.

"It was best for _you_," I snap. "The defense was already trying to twist everything you said. If we'd allowed the truth to come out, they would've just had more ammunition. With me as the shooter, it added more credibility."

"Ah, I see." She nods. "A prostitute could never be credible enough for your precious case."

"Bella." I slide my hand through my hair and give it a sharp tug. "Just stop it!" I grab her shoulders and give her a shake. "_Nothing_ is more important to me than you. I wanted you out of the line of fire. I'm sorry if you don't agree, but I didn't agree to be sent away and you did it anyway."

At least she has the decency to look sheepish. "I'm sorry, Edward." Her hand slides up to my cheek. "It's been the most horrific week of my life without you. Please say you'll forgive me?"

I swallow hard. "Of course I forgive you, Bella. I love you."

She sighs. "I love you, too."

I walk her back to the couch and guide her to sit at the corner nearest my recliner. I sit on the edge of my own seat and take her hands in mine. "I want to do things right this time. Start fresh and show you how a real man should treat his woman. Not the messed up way it was before, hidden with no first dates or flowers or opening doors for you."

She squeezes my hands, stopping me from going any further. "Edward, what we had before was beautiful. There was nothing messed up about it."

"I know that, Bella. It was, but it was hidden away under unusual circumstances. We have a brand new start with the trial behind us. I want to do it right this time. Dates and flowers and most of all, in public," I say, trying to convey how important this is to me.

Tears form in her eyes. "Oh, Edward, I'd love to go on dates with you"—she sniffles—"in public."

I reach up and wipe the few tears that have leaked out. "Don't cry, baby. This is a good thing." I smile and kiss her cheek before sitting back.

I need to create distance. An upset Bella makes for a loving Edward, and I can't allow it to go there right now. Doing this the right way is my only option. I can't allow myself to be swayed, even if it is by my temptress herself.

She takes in my new position and smirks. "Why did you move away?"

I shake my head at her. "You know why. _The right way_," I stress.

She sits back and crosses those long, creamy legs, rubbing her hand up and down her thigh. My eyes follow their every move. Her throat clears. "When?"

I snap my eyes to hers. "Oh, um, well there's another thing we need to discuss before we actually make a date." I scratch the back of my neck and let my eyes wander around the room. "There's something you don't know yet and I think you'll need that information before you agree to go out with me."

"Edward," she growls, and my eyes meet hers. "What else could there possibly be? Did you forget to mention a wife? Kids?"

I'm already shaking my head. "No, baby." I slide down in front of her and grab her hands. "It has nothing to do with me … except that I already knew and didn't tell you."

She lifts a brow. "So let me get this straight. You know something that has to do with me, and haven't told me?"

"Well, to be honest, I didn't learn it until after we were separated, and we've barely talked since you sent me away. But really, it isn't my story to tell."

She scoffs. "Not your story to tell? So you're saying you intend to continue keeping this secret from me?"

I grip her hands more firmly. "No, never. I gave the person an ultimatum and they agreed to come to you tomorrow. I want no secrets between us when we start fresh."

She studies my face carefully. "Okay, I trust you. After tomorrow, though, all bets are off. If I don't find out the truth, I expect _you_ to tell me."

"Fair enough." I kiss her hands and rise back to my seat.

"So when?" she asks again.

"Saturday night?" I suggest. "If you still want me after you hear what I've known."

A smile lights her face and it's breathtaking. "Yes and yes, I'll still want you."

A matching smile forms on my own lips. "Care to walk me out? I need to get going. I'm sure Rose and Emmett are parked down the street waiting for me to leave by now."

Her shoulders sag and her smile turns into a frown.

"Don't look that way, baby. This is only the beginning of us."

She rises from her seat, grabs my hand and starts walking me to the door. When we reach the foyer, my back hits the wall with a thump. Ferocious lips fuse to mine. They taunt and tantalize, driving me mad.

She pulls back, her breath bleeding into my own. "Fuck the right way."

With one hard snatch, buttons fly everywhere. "Goddamn it, woman!"

I grab her and reverse our positions, pinning her to the wall with my body. "Is this what you want, Bella? You want me to fuck you against this wall?"

I slide my hand up her thigh, pushing her skirt as I go. She moans, begging me to go farther. "Touch me … please."

I lean in and nip my way up her neck, placing my lips at her ear. "Here?" I ask, sliding my fingers to the crease in her thigh.

"Cl ... closer," she pants.

Pushing her panties aside, I skim my fingers through her slit. Her whole body tenses with want. I position my thumb on her nub and she begins rocking back and forth. "That's it, baby. Ride my fingers. You want more? You want one inside?" I whisper, closing my lips around a lobe and tugging it with my teeth.

"Oh God," she moans. "Please."

I circle her entrance and just as I'm about to slide my finger inside, car lights flash through the front window. "Fuck!" I stop all movement and lean my head on her shoulder.

"What's the matter? Why did you stop?" she asks as I withdraw my hand.

I blow out a deep breath and try to collect myself. "Rose and Emmett just turned the car off. They'll be at the door any second."

She pushes me back and starts scrambling, trying to right her clothes. "Don't just stand there, fix yourself!"

I grab my cock. "Baby, there's no fixing this."

She smacks me on the chest and allows her eyes to slide south. "Oh, there's a fix. It's just going to have to be put on hold."

The reality of what almost happened hits me with her words. I almost let it get too far, beyond the point of no return.

I reach up and push her hair behind her ear. "The right way, Bella." I kiss her on the forehead and turn to walk out the door, leaving her pouting behind me.

* * *

**FINALLY! Reunited and it feels so good … See you next time!**

* * *

*****ICYMI … I (Fyre) have been writing something that will start posting on Wednesday. There was a special sneak peek on TLS yesterday if you're interested. I'll also post that peek here on Mon or Tues for you guys to check out. Put me on alert if you want to check it out ~ fyrebyrd89 ~ I'm listed in our fave authors.**

**P.S. I saw a lot of familiar names in my follows yesterday. Just wanted to say that you guys rock! See you very soon and I may add a little bit more peek, just for you. *winks***


	9. A Father's Confession

**As always, thanks to our wonderful team. Our pre-readers ****Judyblue and Mana and our Beta kitchmill. They are a writer's dream team.**

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**BPOV**

That sexy son of a bitch.

Edward leaves right as Emmett and Rose are coming in. Rose doesn't speak to Edward, but at least she isn't a bitch. I'm going to have to talk to her about him again soon. She needs to get over her issues with him being with me, because that's not going to change.

I can tell she wants to talk, but I go to my room right after he leaves with the excuse that it has been a long day.

It has been a long day, but right now I'm completely wound up and nowhere near tired. My panties are soaked, and I can't believe not even a half hour ago I was so close to an orgasm.

My nerves are never going to settle down, even after pacing around my room for a while.

I grab my book and strip off to only my underwear. I throw on one of Edward's T-shirts he probably doesn't know I have. Then I try to get comfy on my new bed and read.

After going over the same sentence three times, I know it's hopeless. I put my book down and flip off my light, replaying what happened when Edward came over.

I try to focus on the talking part since he's not around to continue any of the physical stuff.

He wants to take things slow. Hmm. I wonder exactly what he means. Clearly he means no sex, but was that only tonight?

I get that he thinks we didn't do things right and wants things to be different, but I'm happy with the way things were. I love being with him, in his bed, waking up in his arms.

Of course, I've never been wooed before. I've been on dates, but never with a guy that meant anything. Will I be his girlfriend? Will he want people to know we're together? He said public. I'm kind of excited thinking about it.

I wonder if the sex will be different when we're not hiding. I can't imagine it can be any better. Sex with Edward is already better than any other sex I've ever had. The things he can do with his fingers and tongue. And to think those very fingers were so close tonight.

Fuck it. I can't resist anymore. I'm never going to rest until I take care of the ache still lingering.

I close my eyes and fill my mind with thoughts of Edward. His scent washes over me. The warmth of his skin burns into mine. The feel of his chest hair tickles my face. Most of all, though, I can feel his lips and tongue. His fingers and his breath. The way he feels when he's inside me.

I'm wet and aching with need for him. I have _never_ wanted a man like I want Edward. Once I finally got him to cave, it should have been enough, but it wasn't even close. I need him in ways I didn't even know existed.

My fingers drift down over my taut nipples, allowing them to squeeze and pinch until they're tender and swollen. Only then do they slowly ghost down over my stomach and into my panties.

The heat rises from my pussy before I even touch it. By the time I touch myself I'm soaked. My fingers easily slip through my lips. I take my time rubbing and exploring before finally dipping a finger inside.

I slip inside with no resistance. I arch my back as I pump my finger, imagining Edward the last time we were together, the hint of scruff scratching my thighs as his tongue worked itself inside me.

I add another finger while using my palm to press against my sweet spot.

In my mind, Edward moves his tongue to my clit and inserts one of his thick, long fingers that I will never be able to imitate. My other hand moves back to my nipples. I remember the smoothness of his tongue as it licked around me before sucking my button into his mouth.

Before I know it, I'm coming so hard I see nothing but white light. It takes several minutes before I can breathe normally again. I get up and wash my hands before settling back into bed, finally able to fall asleep to sinfully delicious dreams.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

I wake up the next morning the most rested I've been in a long time, probably since I last had Edward's arms around me.

Once I'm dressed I venture out of my room to see what's going on.

The smell of coffee and bacon pulls me into the kitchen. Rose is at the stove looking as put together as always. I wonder if she sleeps.

I greet her. "Morning."

She turns and smiles. "Good morning. I'm almost finished up with breakfast. There's fresh coffee in the pot. Help yourself."

"Thanks, but you didn't have to go to any trouble." I hope she didn't do all of this for me. I'm generally not much of a morning person anyway, and I certainly don't expect her to take care of me.

She laughs. "Oh, don't expect this every day. I'm not much for cooking. Especially breakfast. But since yesterday was such a big day and this is your first day here, I wanted to do something special."

"Well, thanks then. I can help with cooking if you want. I cooked for Edward and me a lot. I actually like doing it."

We bring over everything and both take seats at the table. "So, speaking of Edward, what did he want last night? Trying to get in your pants again?"

"Unfortunately, that wasn't why he was here. Though I did try my best to get him to fuck me right up against your wall."

Rose chokes on her coffee, while I just giggle. She puts her cup down and wipes her mouth. "I guess I deserved that. I'm sorry. I'm not being a good friend. Do you want to tell me why he was here?"

"He wants to date me. He wants us to start like a normal couple. And you'll be happy to know he says no jumping into bed. He wants to do things the right way, whatever the fuck that means."

A genuine smile spreads across her face. "I think that's great. He knows you deserve better than hiding and sex. He wants to treat you like a lady, the way you deserve to be treated. I'm actually pretty impressed."

Emmett comes stumbling in, bare feet and hair a mess. "Morning, ladies. Do I smell bacon?"

He makes his way to the table, and we all eat breakfast. I almost want to roll my eyes at how all-American and like something out of a sitcom this is, but it's actually really nice.

After we eat, I insist on doing the dishes. Emmett says he wants to go to the gym and Rose is going to run a few errands. She invites me to go and I'm tempted, but I want to spend some time on the computer looking up information about getting my GED and maybe see what possible jobs are available.

Rose lets me borrow a laptop she has, and as soon as they both leave I start googling. It looks like it shouldn't be that difficult to try for the GED. I can look up study material online, and all I need once I'm ready is to pay the fee, a computer and seven or so hours to take all four parts. I'll definitely have to brush up on my mathematical reasoning, but I think I should already be pretty prepared for language arts, science and social studies.

I enter my information to start an account so I can get a look at some of the materials and the practice tests. I'm starting to get excited when someone knocks. I jump up and race to the door hoping it's Edward again. I'm surprised, then disappointed when I realize it's Swan.

"Hey. Rose and Emmett aren't here right now." I'm not inviting him in.

"Yeah, I know. I'm actually hoping I can talk to you."

"About what?"

"Can I come in?" He motions toward where I'm blocking the entrance to the house.

"Why?"

"I have something important to discuss with you, and I think it would be better if we're inside."

I really don't want this man in here, but I guess I can't keep him on the porch forever. I huff. "Fine. Come in."

I don't wait for him and make my way into the living room figuring he will follow. I grab the only chair available, making sure he can't sit too close to me. He takes a seat on the couch.

We sit in silence. He's the one who said he wanted to talk, so he's going to have to make the first move.

"Isabella, Bella, uh, can I ask you a little more about your mother? Please?"

"Why? Are you obsessed with her or something?"

He scrubs his face. "No, I'm not obsessed. I admit I loved her when we were younger, younger than you are right now. She was very different from the other girls around. I was crazy about her for a long time. She never told you anything about your family, this town?"

I sigh. "Look, there's nothing else to tell you. The woman refused to ever tell me anything about where she was from or any of our family. Right before I left, she finally told me just enough to know she's from Forks and met my father here."

"Why did you leave? Was she a good mother? Did you have a good life with her growing up?"

I stare at him. "That's really none of your damn business. I'm not sure what she was like when you knew her, but I'm guessing she changed."

"Your mother has always been a wild spirit."

I snort. "That's a very nice way of describing her. Anyway, suffice it to say she never deserved any mother of the year awards. Now what does any of this have to do with why you're here?"

He takes a deep breath and meets my eyes. "I think, well I'm pretty sure, that I'm your father."

This guy is insane. "I'm not sure what you're after or trying to pull here, but this isn't fucking funny."

"Here, look at this." He hands me a picture. It's a black and white picture of a woman. She's very pretty.

"Who is this?"

"It's my mother. Look closely at the picture, Bella. What do you see?"

"I'm not looking at anything. You need to leave. I'm not sure what you're up to, but I'm not playing your game." I try to hand the picture back to him.

"I'm not leaving until you look at the picture, and I'm not playing any game."

Something makes me look down at the picture, even though all I want to do is throw it back at him. The shape of the eyes and the poutiness of the lips are familiar. I see those features every day when I look into the mirror. I gasp.

"Who is this?" I hold up the picture.

"I told you. It's my mother. And you look so much like her, so beautiful."

I jump up and drop the picture. "You're serious with this bullshit? You really think you're my father?"

He remains sitting. "Yes. I'm pretty certain."

"Have you thought that since the first day I met you?"

He looks down. "Yes."

"Oh fuck." I start to pace and tug at my hair. Finally I stop in front of him. "You've suspected you're my father since that first day, and you didn't tell me. You've talked to me, you've questioned me, and you never bothered to mention that you might be my father … the man you _know _I'm looking for."

He stands, and I turn away from him. "Yes, but you have to understand. I wasn't sure. I'd just met you and learned who your mother was. I had a dead officer and found out at the same time that my best detective is sleeping with the witness, who is possibly my daughter. It's a lot to take in and I needed time to process and think. I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure, and then the longer I kept it from you the harder it's become to say anything. Then Edward …"

I whip back around. "What the _fuck_ does Edward have to do with anything?" Then it dawns on me, the conversation with Edward, telling me there's another secret, but it's not his to tell.

I cover my mouth as tears gather. "He knows."

Swan closes his eyes before looking at me again. "Shit. I'm screwing this all up. Yes, he knows, but I demanded that he not tell you." He runs a hand along his mustache. "I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you. I should have told you that first day, but I just didn't know what to say."

I face him. "I don't want to hear shit from you right now. You've had chances to talk to me. You are an asshole and I hope to God you're wrong and you're not my father. I already have one shitty parent. I'm really hoping my father will be a decent man."

"I know you don't believe it, but I am a good man, Bella. I want to get to know you."

"Yeah well, don't get your fucking hopes up. Right now you're no one to me. I want a DNA test or something before I'll accept you're the one that knocked my mother up. Until then, we have nothing else to say. So please leave."

"I'd really like to get to know you. I want to know my daughter."

This makes me lose my cool. "I'm not your fucking daughter. At most you fucked my mother and she got pregnant. That sure as hell doesn't make me your daughter. Now get the fuck out!" I don't give him time to respond before heading to my room and slamming the door behind me. After waiting silently until the front door closes, I watch from my window as he takes one last look at the house before getting into his car and driving away. Then I fall onto my bed. This is not how I saw today going.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

I remain in my room for the better part of the day. I want to call Edward. Fuck that. I want to go hunt him down and find out what he was thinking keeping this kind of information from me. I'm so hurt and angry.

Part of my mind is telling me that Edward will never do anything to hurt me and that he has a good reason for not telling me. But I shut that part up quick. I'm pissed and have no interest in being rational.

Emmett lets me know he's home, but I have no desire to leave my room right now. Their house phone rings, and a few minutes later he knocks on my door. "Bella, you have a call."

I really don't want to talk to anyone, but I gave this number out when I made an account on the GED website. It might be someone from there calling, though I'm not completely surprised when I answer and it's Edward.

"What do you want?"

"I'm guessing you've seen Charlie."

"Yep." I'm not giving him anything.

"Are you okay?"

I snort. "Sure. I find out a man I can't stand might be my father and the man I love knows and hasn't told me. I'm great."

"I wanted to tell you, but—"

I cut him off, not wanting to hear his excuses. "Right. I'm guessing you couldn't find the words when you're so busy fucking me."

"No, Bella! Don't do that. Listen to me. You need to hear what I'm saying."

I'm suddenly so tired. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say." He starts to speak, but I continue on. "I'm not saying I won't listen, just not right now. I need some time. If I stay on the phone I'll end up saying things I'm sure I'll regret later. I just need some time to process."

He blows a breath across the receiver. "Okay. I can respect that. Can I come see you soon?"

"Well I'm still expecting our date, so you can see me then."

"You still want to go out with me?"

I roll my eyes even though he can't see me. "I'm pissed at you and seriously considered junk punching you, but I love you and want to see you. This doesn't change that. Plus, we both know I love your cock way too much to ever hurt it."

"Baby, can you please not say the word cock again. Not when we're trying to be good."

"You're trying to be good. I want to you to fuck me. I make no promises about being good. Now, I'm going to go because I'm still mad and in no mood to dirty talk for you."

He laughs. "Fair enough. See you Saturday, and I am really sorry about not telling you."

"Goodbye." There isn't anything else to say right now. I can't pretend everything is okay, but I hope it will be.

Later on, I'm in the kitchen stuffing my face when Rose comes in. She sees the ice cream and cookies in front of me. "Uh, oh. You have a fight with Edward or something?"

I've never been one to share my shit with people. I've had very few people in my life I'd ever trust enough to actually talk to, and even then I usually kept things to myself. But I need to talk about this. I need to get things off my chest. Rose says she wants to be my friend and so far she's proven to be nothing but supportive and honest. I drop the spoon back in the carton. "Sort of. It's just been a really shitty day."

She sits down. "Want to talk about it?"

"Originally I came to this town looking for my father. I didn't really know anything about him other than he lived here before I was born. Needless to say, with James, I didn't get much time to look for him, and since I had nothing to really go on I didn't know where to start anyway."

I'm thankful Rose doesn't ask any details on why I'm looking for my father or what happened to my mother. She just sits quietly listening.

"I just found out today that Chief Swan might be my father. He's known for a while, and apparently so has Edward." I take another bite of ice cream.

"Wow. That's insane. How … what … I mean, how did you find out?"

I can't help but giggle at the astounded look on her face. "Swan came by and told me."

"How did that go? Are you happy?"

"Happy? Fuck no. That man has been a dick. Plus, he's the one that kept Edward away from me. He's known he might be my father, and instead of telling me, he's asked me questions and kept his mouth shut. I think I would rather never have known."

"What about Edward? Where does he fit in?"

"I guess he's known about Swan possibly being my dad. He told me last night that he's keeping something from me, but it wasn't his place to tell me. I just can't believe he didn't tell me. If he really cares, he should have told me."

She sits back and looks at me. "Do you want my honest thoughts or do you just want to vent and have me agree with you?"

I look at her with furrowed brows. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want to actually discuss things and listen to my thoughts, or are you just wanting someone to listen and sympathize? Maybe call Edward and Charlie some choice words?" She smiles after speaking.

"As much as I'm sure you'd enjoy calling Edward a few names and as much as I'd probably enjoy hearing it right now, I think I want to actually talk. I want your thoughts."

"Okay. Just remember, I'm on your side." She reaches out and gives my hand a squeeze. "Now, I don't know the whole story, and I doubt you do either. I don't know why Charlie kept this from you. I do know that I've known him for a while and he's a good man."

I huff and she arches a brow. "Now listen, I'm not telling you he didn't make a mistake in not telling you. I'm also not going to lie to you and tell you he's an asshole because you asked for the truth. For as long as I've known him, he's been good to me. He's not perfect and way too attached to his job, but he's become a good friend."

"I believe he's good … to _you._ But I haven't seen that side of him." I briefly flash to being in court and locking eyes with him. I shake that from my head. Just because he was there doesn't make him special.

"All I know is you say you've come here looking for your father. Now you know who that is. You've found him. Maybe just try listening to him and seeing what he has to say. If you still don't like him then no one says you have to be close to him. But don't you have questions? Don't you want to know things?"

"Maybe. I just don't know right now."

"Well you don't have to make any decisions right away. I hope you plan on sticking around for a while, and you should take some time and think about things. You only found out today. It'll take a while to wrap your mind around it, I'm sure."

I nod. "You're right. And he's known for a while and only just told me. Now he can wait on me. No matter what, I don't see him ever being a father figure to me."

"And no one says you have to. Maybe you'll never be close, maybe you'll stay strangers. But maybe he can end up being a friend."

I snort at that. "I definitely don't see that happening."

She smiles and shrugs. "You never know."

I'm sick of talking about Swan or even thinking about him right now, so I decide to set anymore talk of him aside for now. "I'm still hurt and pissed at Edward. I swear, if I didn't love his cock so much I'd …"

Rose holds up her hands. "Hey! I don't want to hear anything about his dick. Keep that shit to yourself."

I laugh at her. "Sorry. I really am mad at him though."

"As much as I might enjoy watching you rip him a new one, why are you mad at him? Why exactly?"

"I told him all of my secrets. I told him things I've never told anyone. We love each other. But he kept this from me. Something so important."

She sits forward in her seat, leaning closer to me. "When did he find out?"

"I'm not sure."

"What did he say when you talked to him about it?"

I look down. "I told him I don't want to talk about it right now or hear his excuses."

She reaches out and lifts my face. "Don't you think maybe you should talk to him then?"

I sigh. "I will. I plan to. I just want to be angry right now, okay?"

She barks out some very unladylike laughter. "I can understand that. I can definitely participate if you just want to sit here and call him names or insult him." She winks at me before I can say anything. Then her face turns serious. "Take it from someone who's learned the hard way, communication is really important in any relationship. Talk to him."

"I will. We're going out Saturday."

"Do you know where he's taking you? Do you have anything to wear?"

And just like that we get off all heavy conversation and turn to lighter, fun topics. Rose lets me look through some bags of clothes she can't fit into anymore. There are a few things that will work for me, so she gives them to me.

I tell her about looking into getting my GED. I also tell her about looking at available jobs, but so far from what I see I'm not qualified for anything. It looks like I may be hitting the burger joints.

She tells me she can use some help at the shelter. It's not many hours or much money, but I immediately jump at the opportunity. I'll take whatever she has available. I go to bed happy even after finding out about Swan and Edward.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

On Saturday, I'm excited about going out with Edward. I've only spoken to him once more since I found out about Swan possibly being my father. That conversation was quick and really just to confirm our date and set a time.

I've pretty much forgiven Edward, but I still want answers. He also needs to be punished a bit. With that in mind, I dress in one of my nicer dresses that's still very sexy. I slip on a pair of heels that make my legs and ass look amazing. I leave my hair down, and Rose reminds me to use very light make-up. Then, just because I plan to torture Edward a bit, I leave off my panties.

Rose lets me know when he pulls up. I start to head out the door and Emmett grabs me. "Oh no. He'll come to the door and get you like a proper date."

I want to roll my eyes at how lame that sounds, but inside I'm actually a little giddy.

Edward comes to the door, and he looks yummy. Gray slacks that fit those sexy thighs and a black button-up show that my man works out.

After a bit of teasing from Emmett and a reminder from Rose for us to behave, we're out the door. Edward opens my door and I get in, noticing the way his eyes linger on my bare legs. Once he gets inside, it's all I can do to keep myself on my side of the car.

"So, where are we going?" I decide to try to talk normally and attempt to get my head back into the date and out of the gutter.

"I thought we'd head to the cell phone store first."

That definitely isn't what I expected. "Why?"

He puts the car in gear and starts driving. "You need a phone."

"I haven't started working yet. I can't afford a phone right now."

"I'm adding you to my plan and I'll be buying your phone."

What. The. Fuck.

"Um, no you're not. I'll get a phone when I can afford one. I don't need you buying me one, Edward. I can take care of myself. I _need_ to start taking care of myself ... the right way," I say, throwing his words back at him.

He pulls the car into a nearby parking lot and turns to me. "Bella, I know you can take care of yourself. You've been doing it for a long time now. As much as I want to take care of you, I understand your need to do things for yourself. I get that and respect it. Consider this more for me than you anyway."

I narrow my eyes at him. "How is getting me a phone more for you?"

He smirks at me. "I want to be able to call you when I want without worrying about Rose or Emmett being around. I want to be able to text you. And most of all, I want to be sure you're safe, and one way to do that is to make sure you have a way to get in touch with me or anyone else if you need to."

I giggle. "Maybe you should be a lawyer. Okay, I'll agree to a phone as long as you agree that once I start working and earning money I can pay my part of the bill." I cross my arms and lean back, raising a brow.

He pouts for half a second before agreeing. "Fine. It's a deal."

He holds his hand out for me to shake. I put my hand into his and he pulls me forward and grabs my head with his other hand. He quickly kisses me before releasing me.

I sit there shocked for a minute with my lips still puckered. What the hell just happened?

"We've sealed our deal and gotten that pesky first date kiss out of the way." I guess I spoke my thoughts out loud.

He puts the car back into gear and drives us to the cell store.

We walk out of the store half an hour later with an iPhone 6. Edward also insisted I get a case for it, so I found a really pretty sparkly one that I love. This is so much better than my old phone. I can't wait to play with it. I'm already planning the naked pictures I can send to torture Edward. Not to mention the sexting we can do.

Next we head to a restaurant. It's an Indian place. I'm touched Edward remembers I want to try Indian food from our time being secluded together. When he opens my door to let me out, I look around. Being sure we're alone, I raise my dress a bit. When I turn to him, I purposely give him a flash showing him I'm not wearing panties.

He sucks in a breath and grips the door so tightly, his entire hand turns white. "Fuck, Bella. Where are your panties?"

I stand making sure my body is close to him. "I must have forgotten them. Oops." Then I walk toward the entrance.

A few seconds pass before the door closes and his footsteps approach. Suddenly, I feel his arm wrap around my waist. He leans close to my ear. "Such a bad girl. Be careful playing games with me."

My eyes lower to his crotch and then slowly trail back up to meet his. I bite my lip. In the most seductive voice I can muster right now, I whisper, "Sorry, Detective."

He just looks at me clenching his jaw before shaking his head and smirking. "You're going to be the death of me." He keeps his arm around my waist as he leads me to the door.

We're seated right away. I let Edward order since he's eaten here before. He selects a variety of things for us to share.

While we wait for our food, I decide we need to talk. "Are you going to tell me why you kept the truth about Swan possibly being my father from me?"

* * *

**So… Bella finally knows. Do you think she handled things well with Charlie? With Edward?**

**Speaking of Edward, they are finally on a date. Sweeeet! Unfortunately they have this unfinished business hanging over them. Wonder how things will go.**

**Bella's still being a bit naughty, but who can blame her. How long will Edward be able to resist? He's only human, after all. **

**Until next time when we hear from Edward… **

*****Apparently we have been nominated in The Fanatic Fanfics Multifandom Awards for Favorite Newbie Author. *Squeeee* **

**We literally just found out and are so beyond shocked and grateful! ****The First Round of Voting will start on May 31st, 2015. They will take votes for two weeks before closing on June 14th, 2015.**


	10. The Date

**Thanks so much to kitchmill, who makes each and every chapter as best they can be and to Mana and Judyblue for all of their wonderful comments *smooches***

* * *

**EPOV**

"Are you going to tell me why you kept the truth about Swan possibly being my father from me?" Bella asks as soon as the waiter has walked away with our order.

I prop my elbow on the table and my face on my hand. I can't help it. She looks beautiful sitting there full of fire. Her brow is hitched and her posture is braced for my answer. Only thing is, I think she might feel worse when I lay it out there for her.

Just from her responses on the phone, I can tell she thinks her reasons for being pissed at me are valid, but they're not. I don't want to ruin our date by making her feel guilty for jumping to conclusions, but I also can't have her thinking I was "too busy fucking her" either.

I try a different approach. "Yes, we are going to have to discuss that, but why don't we wait until the end of our date?" I reach over and brush her fingers with mine. "We have a lot to talk about, and I'd like to have fun and be normal before it gets too serious. Can we do that? Have some fun first, I mean?"

She scrutinizes me, looking for what, I'm not sure. But after several moments she relaxes just the slightest bit. "Okay, we'll do this your way … for now, but don't think you're going to get out of it. I need to understand why you did it."

I give her a slow, easy smile. "I have no doubt you'll understand why, but until then, wipe it from your mind. I promise we'll get to it."

Her lips curve to match mine and she leans back and crosses her arms. "I think I can do that, Detective." Her heel slides up my leg.

I grab her foot and place it in my lap, then slide her fuck-me pump off. "You know, Bella, two can play," I say as I massage firm circles up the arch of her foot. She's all but mewling in her seat.

She gives me a smirk and then throws her head back. Moans start slipping past her lips as she writhes in her seat. People glance at our table.

I stop my movements, slide her shoe back on and drop her foot to the floor. "All right, Bella. You win … this round."

She straightens up and her expression can only be described as the cat that ate the canary. She leans closer. "I'll always win. Remember that." With a wink, she sits back and takes a swallow of her water.

At that moment the waiter brings out our drinks and appetizers. I ordered samosas and they come with several different chutneys. Bella's eyes light up when the food is placed in front of us. "They look so good."

I nod. "They are. These are my favorite, that's why I chose them. Go ahead try one." I tilt my head at the plate.

Tentatively, she reaches over and picks one up. Right as she's about to lift it to her lips, I reach over and grab her hand, guiding it to the mango chutney. "No, you have to try it with this."

She dips the samosa in the sauce and brings it to her lips. All the while her eyes are on mine. The simple act of biting into a piece of food is enough to drive me mad. I tear my eyes away just to try and regain my composure. She's has me twisted in knots. Her appeal is more than I can bear at times.

I clear my throat and turn back to her, only to find a smidge of chutney on the corner of her lip. I reach over. "You left a little bit right … here." I rub the corner of her mouth with my thumb then bring it to my own lips. "Mmmm, Bella chutney."

She props her arm on the table and leans forward. Her tits press together, and my eyes can't help but be drawn there. "Psst." I snap my eyes to hers. "I thought we'd already decided who wins this game. Don't keep starting things you aren't ready to finish. I'd love nothing more than to say fuck this date and have you take me back to your place."

I gulp and allow my eyes one more peek at her luscious cleavage before straightening up and grabbing my napkin. I bring it up and wipe at what I'm sure is drool dribbling down my chin. "You're right, of course," I stutter. Then I reach out and grab her hand in mine. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be playing these games with you when I told you I want things to be different this time. Please forgive me. I won't do it again."

She squeezes my hand tighter. "Please, do it again and more."

I sigh. "Bella, I want to show you how men are supposed to treat a lady—"

"I'm no lady, Edward," she interrupts.

I look her dead in the eye. "You _are_ a lady and I'll make you see that. Just give me the chance, please. Let me show you how it's supposed to be."

With a small smile she gives me a slight nod. "Show me then, Edward." She leans back in her seat and picks up another samosa. "But it better not mean waiting until marriage and only making love. I still want to be _fucked_."

My pants automatically tighten at her words, so I lean forward, beckoning her closer. When she's close enough I whisper, "Bella, when the time is right, I'm going to fuck you so hard you'll be begging me to put it away and I won't. I'll only fuck you more. Got that?"

She twitches in her seat, crossing her legs. "Promises, promises, Detective." Her voice is playful, but I note the hint of want she's trying to bury.

"Oh, this promise is happening and you can thank me after." I wink at her and lean back, determined to dispel the sexual tension building in my bones. I intend to show her how to be treasured, not just fucked.

We spend the rest of our meal talking and laughing with light flirting and innuendo thrown in to keep it interesting. It seems we both realize where this is headed now and hopefully, she'll let me lead and get there when we're supposed to. Not because we already have or that's what she's accustomed to.

I pay the bill and pull out her chair, placing my hand on her back to guide her from the restaurant. When we reach the sidewalk, I motion down the street. "Care to take a walk with me?"

Her surprised eyes find mine. "Yeah, where to?"

I start walking down the sidewalk away from the parking lot. "There's a park up ahead. I thought we could sit and talk there."

Even in the low street light, I can see her smile. "Sounds like the perfect place."

We walk in silence, lost in our own thoughts. Mine are on being gentle and trying not to be goaded into an argument. While I love Bella immensely, she can also ignite my passion. I do my best to remind myself that she's been through so much and all I need to do is make her understand that she took away my opportunity to tell her. Would I have told her if she hadn't sent me away? I don't know that answer, but that's not what happened.

When we reach the park, I guide her to a bench hidden in the shadows of an older tree whose limbs stretch out over it. We both sit and get comfortable without either saying a word.

Finally, I take a deep breath and turn to her. "I had a wonderful time tonight with a beautiful woman."

She looks around. "Where's that bitch at?" Then she chuckles and slides just a little bit closer beside me. "I had a great time, too."

I smile to myself at her humor. Just one of the many things that made me fall in love with her. "You know we need to be careful, right? We can't just go traipsing all over town like we're in love all of a sudden."

She leans her head on my shoulder and sighs. "I wondered about that. Why did we go out tonight then?"

"Nothing wrong with a first date. The trial's over and we're free to do as we please. We just need to be careful, and I don't know if I can keep my feelings for you hidden in public." I rub my hand down her hair.

"I thought being public meant people will know, that you want them to know." She leans up and meets my eyes.

I put my hands on her cheeks. "I _do_ want them to know. We just have to make it look like it's all new and fresh. That these feelings are just now developing. We can't run the risk of someone thinking there was a relationship before or during the trial. Maybe some group outings and things would be better the next couple of times."

She snorts. "What, like double dates? We're not in high school, Edward."

I roll my eyes. "No we're not, but we do need to be careful. Maybe Rose and Emmett wouldn't mind hanging with us next time." She sighs. "Just for a little while, let people get accustomed to the idea. Besides the trial, they're going to have an opinion anyway, just because of our age difference."

She reaches up and rubs my cheek. "Are you worried what people will think of you?"

I give her a firm shake of my head. "_No._ I don't care what people think of me, but I do care that James' conviction sticks."

She leans up and touches her lips to mine for a brief moment. Before I can even respond, she pulls back. "Thank you, Edward. No one has ever cared about me like this in my life and I don't want to lose that. We'll do whatever we need to do to make this work."

I smile. "Yes we will."

She turns back and settles under my arm on the bench, getting comfortable for the conversation to come. We both know what it is, but I don't want my answers to make her feel worse for her actions. That's in the past, we've already moved on from it.

I also don't know how to avoid it.

I sigh. "Bella, remember that day when you were sent ahead with Emmett?"

She nods against my side.

"After you left, that's when Charlie informed me that you may be his daughter. Do you remember what happened when we finally got back to you?"

She raises up and turns to me. "That's when Swan decided that you were off the case and made you leave me. We hardly even got to talk." There's vehemence in her tone.

I nod at her. "He didn't even give me the chance to tell you about me leaving. He barged in and pushed our conversation where he wanted it to go, remember?"

The realization spreads over her features. "And the next time I saw you, I sent you away." She gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Edward. I was cruel and never meant any of those words. I was just trying to help you. I didn't want you to lose your job over me." Wetness gathers in her eyes.

I lean closer and brush a stray strand behind her ears. "Baby, you _did _help me. It might not have been the best way to go about things, but what you did, it helped. I'm only even bringing this up so you'll understand that after I found out about Charlie, I _never_ had the opportunity to tell you. We've hardly talked since, and that's just due to circumstance. It's no one's fault."

She crushes me in a hug. "I'm sorry I talked to you like that on the phone. It was just a huge blow to me. I hate him, I don't want him to be my father and I needed to blame someone."

"Shh, it's okay. You can blame me anytime you want. I love you and want all parts of you, even the angry ones." I hug her back, holding her as close as our bodies will allow.

We sit there in an embrace of comfort and understanding for as long as she needs. When she feels bold enough, she pulls back and looks at me softly. "I love you, too, Edward."

I smile and give her a small peck. "Okay, now that we have that out of the way, can we talk about … Charlie?"

She crosses her arms. "What about him? How he's seen me almost daily and failed to mention he thinks he's my father? Or how he knew that's who I was looking for and never opened his mouth? What about how he thought he could control us by taking you away from me? Want to talk about that Charlie?" she snaps.

Oh shit. This is a touchy subject for her. I knew she was going to be pissed at him the longer he waited, but I also knew she came here looking for her father. Charlie's a decent man and did use poor judgement on several aspects of this situation, but he also had to make snap decisions on what was the best course of action for all of us.

I drape my arm across her shoulder and sigh. "Yeah, that Charlie. Look, Bella, I'm not going to lie and say I agree with those things, but I know the man and he's a decent guy. He found out a lot of information all at one time, besides possibly being your father. Just imagine walking into a crime scene and seeing one officer dead, another one shot, a detective declaring his love for a witness he's protecting and then finding out said witness might be his daughter that he had no clue existed. It's an overwhelming situation."

She snatches away and turns to me, accusation in her eyes. "So what? You think I should just forgive him and embrace him like the saint he is?"

I scrub my hand over my face. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I just think you should consider _all_ the facts."

"Oh, I think I have all the facts, all right. Swan is a piece of shit who thinks he can control my life. He's nothing more than a sperm donor, if he even is my father," she declares.

My eyes widen. "You don't think he's your father?"

She huffs. "What? Am I just supposed to believe everything that comes out of Saint Swan's mouth?"

"No you're not," I agree. "Would you like me to set up a DNA test for the two of you? Help you find out for sure?"

She slumps in her spot. "If we get a test and it's confirmed then I'll have to face the truth of it, and I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

I reach over and grab her hands. "Baby, this is all you. You take all the time you need. You don't ever have to know for sure or acknowledge he even exists if you don't want to. I just wanted to let you know he is a decent man who was under extraordinary circumstances."

She pulls herself into my chest and wraps her arms around me. "Would you have told me the truth if I hadn't sent you away?" she asks in a soft voice.

I squeeze her tighter to me for just a second before pulling her back so I can see her eyes. "Honestly, Bella, I don't know. I'd like to think I would've, but I can't guarantee it. It would've been on my mind eating away at me every day though. To look in your eyes and know I was lying to you? I'm not sure I could've done that, but there's no way to know for sure." I slide my hand up to the nape of her neck. "But I do know I love you, and I'm sorry this whole situation has you torn up inside."

Her brows furrow. "Torn up?" she repeats. "I'm not torn up over Swan. I just put him out of my mind and forget it. It was how it affected us that I was concerned with."

She's not telling the whole truth, it's there in her eyes, but I'll take it. "Well, there's nothing to worry over here. We're solid." I smile and massage her neck.

She purrs and moves closer to me. "I can think of something solid I'd like to be reacquainted with."

My jaw drops, along with my hand. I slide back, putting some space between us. "Play fair," I warn.

She smirks and leans back, crossing her legs. In the process. I get a flash of skin and remember she's bare underneath that dress. I put my fist in my mouth and bite down … hard.

"Are you okay, _Detective_?" Her fingers walk up my chest as she leans in.

I jump up and move completely out of her reach. "You agreed we'd be good!"

She stands and raises a brow. "This _is_ me being good." With a satisfied grin on her face, she loops her arm through mine and starts for the car.

I follow like the puppy I am.

Opening her door, I look away as she slides in. When she's completely settled, I walk around and get in the driver's seat. The smirk on her lips is clear even in the dim lights from the dash. I can't help but smile.

She has me, and I like that she knows it.

When we pull up at Emmett and Rose's house, I shut the car off and turn to her. "I'm going to walk you to the door, but I think I want to say goodnight here."

She smiles. "Goodnight."

I roll my eyes. "I don't think so." I slide my hand into her hair and pull her face closer to mine. "I had a fabulous time tonight, Bella. I really, really, hope we can do it again"—I brush her lips—"soon."

She fists my shirt and pulls me impossibly close. "Really soon." Her tongue traces my lips, begging for entrance.

I comply.

The taste of her is like no other I've ever encountered. It fills me up from the inside out, consuming me until I no longer exist. We're melded as one, twisting, turning, entwining, until we no longer have separate entities. When she pulls her lips from mine, I feel as if a part of me is no longer attached.

I press my forehead to hers. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you."

After I walk around to help her out of the car, we make our way to the porch. When she's been safely delivered where I received her, I leave one kiss on her forehead and back away to watch her enter the front door.

Only then do I turn and skip down the steps and all the way to my car.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

When I open my eyes the next morning, my phone is beeping with a missed text. What I see when I open the picture message has me running straight to the shower. It's already bad enough waking up without her, but waking up to images on a screen is even worse. There's no way this problem is going away on its own.

I allow image after image to flash through my mind as I work myself up and down. It doesn't take but minutes before I'm coming in spurts all over the shower wall.

After a bowl of cheerios and a chat with Alice, I've made plans for this evening. Time to get a good read on this Jasper and see what he's all about. Is he just using Alice to get information, or is he really here for what he said? To find out how his brother got mixed up in that mess? I'm not sure, but it's high time I find out, or try, before he gets anywhere near Bella.

I go online and pay some bills and then catch the first couple quarters of the Seattle Seahawks game before it comes time for me to head out. I make my way to Newton's in no time. Alice's car is already parked in the lot.

As soon as I enter, Alice is standing, motioning me over to their table back in the corner. Before I even reach them, she's out of her seat pulling me into a hug.

"So glad you decided to come out with us, big bro," she says.

I give her a tight smile and choose not to respond. I don't want to be an asshole, but I have reservations about how this get-together is going to go, and until then, I want to remain neutral. I take a seat and nod to Jasper.

Alice wastes no time and picks up her menu. "I think I'll have a burger." She closes it and lays it on the table in front of her. "What about you guys?"

I lift a brow at her obvious attempt to push the conversation. "I think I'll have the chicken sandwich, like always."

She turns to Jasper. "What about you?"

He finally breaks his silence. "I think I'll have the chicken sandwich, too." He closes his menu and lays it down, looking directly at me. "Edward, I know you think I have nefarious motives here, but I assure you, I'm not using your sister." He turns and smiles at Alice. "She means a great deal to me, and I'd never do anything to jeopardize that."

She grabs his hand and beams at him. "Oh, Jasper, I know you'd never hurt me."

I clear my throat. "While all this is sweet and everything, you'll understand if I'm a little leery. You come here and mysteriously hook up with my baby sister and expect me to believe it was an accident?"

Still holding tight to Alice's hand, he answers, "Oh, no, it definitely wasn't an accident. I was meant to find Alice. The fact that she's your sister is the only part that's accidental. I always knew she was out there somewhere waiting for me." He nods like the shit he's spouting is fact just because he said it.

Alice is staring at him like he hung the moon, and I think I might be sick. "So let's say I buy this bullshit. What's next, now that the trial is over?"

He lets go of Alice's hand and looks at me more seriously. "Well, tomorrow I'm going to interrogate James, try to get some answers." I nod—makes sense. "At some point I'd like to get Bella in to answer some questions."

I bristle at his use of her name. "First, that's Miss Higginbotham until she's asked you to call her otherwise. Second, haven't you heard the whole story from her on the stand?"

He nods. "I did hear the murder story, but I'm looking for any clues as to how my brother found himself in that position. _Miss Higginbotham_ might know something and just not realize it."

I think about what he said. It has some merit. Bella may be the key to figuring out how Peter got himself into James' back pocket.

I sigh. "I'll tell you what. I'll talk to Bella and get her to come in and speak to you only if you agree that I can be there."

Alice's wide eyes are on me, saying, "You're giving away too much," while Jasper's eyes are scrutinizing me thoroughly.

After several minutes of silence, he finally nods. "I can agree to that. Maybe you know more than you think, too."

I take a deep breath of relief. I took a risk being protective over Bella, but he'll know soon enough. Might as well bend things to benefit us as much as I can.

Jasper and I exchange numbers, and I let him know I'm serious about helping as long as he's here for what he claims. The rest of the meal is pleasant enough. We make small talk about sports and Alice fills me in on her boutique. When it's time to go and we've walked out to our cars, I give her one more hug.

Jasper holds out his hand. "Nice talking with you, Edward. Contact me tomorrow and we'll set a time up for you and _Bella_ to come in." He smirks, and I'm busted. There's no way he didn't catch on to my feelings for her.

I take his hand and shake it firmly while staring directly in his eyes. "As long as Bella's willing, _we'll_ be there." I turn to Alice. "Why don't you come over tomorrow and I'll take you to meet Bella."

He whole face lights up. "Tomorrow?" I nod. She starts bouncing in place. "Oh, I can't wait to meet her." She jumps and hugs me again. "Thank you, Edward. What time?"

"How about lunchtime? We can take her out."

"I'll be there with bells on," she chirps.

I catch Jasper's eye once more and give him my own smirk. If he cares about Alice like he proclaimed with all that bullshit earlier, he'll keep his thoughts about Bella and me to himself. It would hurt her if he hurt her brother and new best friend with any accusations.

He steps forward and leans in close. "We'll talk about this later. Alone and off the record." Then makes his way to open Alice's door for her to get in. She's still bouncing around with excitement.

I salute them both and turn to get in my own car. My girl has some payback coming after that stunt she pulled this morning.

* * *

**So, how do you think the date went? And Edward's explanation? What about Jasper seeming to catch on?**

**Smoke on the Water is up for top ten completed fics in May, along with a bunch of other great fics. Make sure you go vote!**

**See you next chapter!**


	11. Bella Meets Whitlock

**Have we mentioned what an amazing team we've been blessed with? Our Beta kitchmill and our pre-readers Mana and ****Judyblue are the best. Thanks ladies!**

* * *

**BPOV**

I giggle as I put my phone down. It's incredibly improper since we're _being good_, but I can't resist sending Edward a picture of myself after I have to take care of the tension he left me with.

He'll make me pay for that later, no doubt. I look forward to it.

Waking up early the next morning, I head straight for the coffee. Rose is, once again, already in the kitchen looking like a million dollars. I need to figure out her secret.

No cooking this time, though. She's simply eating some toast and drinking her own coffee. Following her lead, I pop some bread into the toaster and fill my mug.

After I butter my toast and make my way over to the table. The look on her face tells me Rose is ready to talk.

"So … how was your date?" She's trying to seem nonchalant, but she doesn't fool me.

"It was good." I leave it at that just to see what she says.

She sits there for only a moment before speaking again. "Come on! You have to give me details. Where did you go? What did you do? Did he treat you right? What did he say about Charlie?"

Laughing at all the questions she's throwing my way, I'm actually happy to dish. It feels good to have a friend to share things with.

"It was so great. He took me to an Indian restaurant because he remembered I said a while back that I'd like to try it. Of course I tortured him a bit since he's obsessed with taking things slow and trying to do things the right way."

Rose leans in and touches my hair, her face taking on a serious expression. "Bella, don't torture him too much. I think what he's doing is a good thing. I still don't know all the details of your life, but you deserve someone to treasure you and treat you with respect. I know you probably don't believe it, but you are worth so much more than sex. Edward seems like he wants to show you just how important every part of you is, not just your body."

Swallowing hard, I really listen to what she says. Some serious thinking is in store for me later.

Realizing I don't want to talk more about that, Rose asks me to continue filling her in on my date … our walk to the park, the talk about why he didn't tell me about Charlie and about him offering to set up a DNA test.

I'm quick to tell her I'm putting that on hold for right now. I have a feeling neither she nor Edward will let me get away with burying my head in the sand in regards to Charlie for too long, but so far both seem willing to give me time without pushing.

She sighs and awes at all the appropriate places. Once I'm finished, she's beaming. "I think I really owe Edward an apology. He is truly doing right by you. I'm very proud of him … and you. This is a whole new start for you and you're doing so well."

Not being used to discussing feelings and being mushy makes me want to shut down, but this is a new life and I'm trying to make some changes. That includes sharing feelings sometimes. "Thanks. It's only because of you, Edward and Emmett that I'm able to have a new start."

She looks all teary and reaches over, giving me a tight hug.

Before things can get any sappier, Em stumbles into the kitchen. "Aw, no breakfast this morning?" It's funny to see this huge, tough man standing there actually pouting, stuck-out bottom lip and all.

Rose rolls her eyes before offering to make him some toast. Of course he ends up eating nearly half the loaf. Sitting back and watching them, a feeling of contentment spreads through me.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

"Bella, want to go visit the shelter? I need to run over there to grab something from the office. While we're there you can fill out the paperwork I need so you can start work soon. You can also look around."

"Sure. That would be great. Just give me ten minutes to get ready." Rushing into my room, I throw on some clothes and pull my hair back in a ponytail. I'm surprised to find I'm excited to go as I follow Rose out to her car.

Surprisingly, the shelter isn't that far away. It's remote, but not so much so that it will take long for police to get there or to go shopping for supplies.

We head in and there are four women sitting around in the kitchen. Rose introduces me to them all. Zafrina, Heidi and Irina who are all here seeking help. Kate, the pretty blonde, works here.

"Bella is going to be helping out around here soon," she tells them after introductions are made.

The women here vary in reasons for seeking help. Rose has filled me in on the shelter. It helps any woman in need, no matter her age or situation. Young runaways, abused spouses, prostitutes looking to get off the street …

Expecting to feel awkward, instead I immediately feel a kinship with these women and can't wait to start working.

I stay and talk with everyone while Rose gets what she needs from her office, telling her I will fill out any paperwork later at home. Right now I just enjoy my time talking and hanging out. I'm actually a bit reluctant to leave, but it helps knowing I'll be back soon.

Working here will really help me feel like I have a purpose. Coming to Forks is turning out to be the best thing I've ever done, even considering the whole mess with James.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Later that night I'm in my room when my phone dings with a text. Checking it, I almost choke when I see it's a selfie of Edward in briefs. A very aroused Edward in bed. It's accompanied with a message.

_That was very naughty sending me that picture. You've left me with quite a large problem today. ~ E_

I giggle before responding.

_I'd say I'm sorry, but we both know I'd be lying. ~ B_

_I'm trying to be good, but you're making it difficult. ~ E_

Rose's words from earlier play in my head, and I actually start to feel a bit guilty.

_I do appreciate the effort. I will try to be good … or maybe I should say I'll try harder to be less bad. Lol. ~ B_

_I love you just the way you are baby. Don't ever think you need to change for me. ~ E_

My heart. The man sure knows how to make me melt. Before him I never knew I could be so girly.

_Thank you. I love you too … just the way you are. ~ B_

We text a bit more, not getting too serious or sexual. He does ask if I would like to have lunch with him and meet his sister Alice. We make those plans before I finally send him another picture. This time it's just my lips blowing him a goodnight kiss.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Knowing Edward's very close to his family, especially his baby sister, causes me to be nervous, yet excited, about meeting Alice.

Edward's picking me up for lunch. He comes to the door again, and this time I pull it open before he can even ring the bell. He laughs while Rose rolls her eyes.

He speaks to Emmett and Rose before we head out. Rose tells him she'd like to speak to him privately. They're only gone a couple minutes before they come back. They seem much happier, so I'm assuming she apologized for being such a bitch to him. I give her a big smile to let her know I appreciate her effort.

Once we're in the car, he tells me we'll be meeting Alice there. Thankfully, that gives me a bit of time alone with him before I have to share.

I'm enjoying just being near him again when he breaks the silence that's settled over us. "Please tell me you're wearing panties this time. I don't think I can handle sitting next to my sister with a hard-on."

Laughter bursts out of me. After giving quite a bit of thought to the things Rose said to me, I decided to try to be a bit less aggressive toward Edward, for now anyway, and allow him to woo me. Who knows, I might even enjoy it.

"Yes, I'm wearing panties. Want to check?"

He coughs gives me a stern look. "Behave."

"You can't expect a halo to appear above my head so soon. I've been wearing horns too long. I'm trying, though." I wink at him as soon as he darts his eyes over to me again.

He snorts and shakes his head. He then grabs my hand, and I twine our fingers together. We enjoy the rest of the ride in comfortable silence listening to Edward's playlist.

We arrive at the restaurant, and Edward opens my door to let me out. He's extending his hand to me when a short girl with dark hair comes bouncing over. Once I'm standing, she wastes no time in introducing herself. "Hi. I'm Alice, Edward's sister. You must be Bella. I can't even tell you how much I've been looking forward to this since Edward mentioned it."

Normally I might already be telling her off with how pushy she seems, but looking at her familiar green eyes, plus the grin on Edward's face and the clear love he has for her, I can't help thinking I'm going to like this girl. The thought does cross my mind that maybe giving her a Valium wouldn't be so bad.

She links one of her arms with mine and her other with Edward's, and we all walk toward the door. I've been teased for being tiny, but she's even a bit smaller than me. Her big brother swamps her. She very pretty and I can see a slight resemblance to her brother. Their parents must be full of great genes.

We're seated right away, and before I can even look at my menu, she starts talking. "I'm so happy to meet you, Bella. I can't even tell you how happy I am that someone has finally removed the stick from Edward's ass."

Edward looks offended, while I find her words hilarious. I'm definitely going to like this girl. "It took a while and it was a lot of work, but I finally wore him down."

Edward finally speaks. "Hey! Should I just leave so you two can talk about me all you want?"

Alice is quick to talk. "No way, big brother. We can talk about you just fine with you right here."

He actually pouts. What is it with these grown men pouting?

"Aw, baby, don't frown. We'll talk about something else." Alice simply rolls her eyes.

The waitress shows up to take our drink order. After she leaves, we all take a minute to figure out what we want to eat. Then I figure it's time to get to know Alice a bit better. "So, Alice, Edward says you're opening your own boutique. That's awesome."

"I am. It's a dream come true, really. I love clothes, so it's a given that I would do something with fashion. I'm just happy that it's almost ready to go. I'm sure Edward's told you, patience isn't my strong point."

"Even if Edward hadn't told me all about you, I think I'd be able to figure that out from this one meeting." She's definitely exuberant, which I find I like. She's a breath of fresh air.

We discuss her store and the fact that she's planning to sell her own creations as well as things from other designers. She invites me to come by anytime. All the while Edward is beaming, happy to see us getting along.

Alice was at the trial, so I know she knows all about my past, even if Edward didn't tell her. Surprisingly, she never treats me as less than her or not good enough for her brother. She's warm and friendly. Our lunch ends up being really enjoyable.

After we finish eating, she says she has to run. We walk her over to her cute yellow car that perfectly matches her bright personality. She turns and gives Edward a huge hug and whispers something to him, to which he simply nods. Then she throws her arms around me. "It's been fun, Bella. Hopefully we can do it again soon, maybe without the grump over there."

"I would love to." And I actually mean it.

She gets into her car and rolls the window down. "Bye, guys. Bella, I'll give you a call. I just know we're going to be great friends." She's off as fast as she came.

"One day I'm going to give her a ticket. She doesn't believe me, but I keep telling her she needs to slow down."

Laughing at Edward's overprotective big brother talk, he obviously needs to be reminded of his own driving. "Oh, honey, like you have any room to talk. You've never driven the speed limit any time I've ridden with you."

He grabs my hand, pulling me to him. Leaning close to my ear, he whispers, "You like it when I drive hard and fast." Then he opens my door for me, smirking at my flushed face.

"Oh, I'm going to get you back for that, _Detective_," I tell him before sliding in.

When we get back to Em and Rose's house, I invite him in. He refuses, saying he has a few things to do, and leaves me with a sweet kiss and the promise to call me later.

I float into the house, feeling like a giddy school girl. If no one were around, I have no doubt I'd even throw in a squeal or two. I'm happier than I can ever remember being.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The next few days are spent studying for my GED and talking to Edward. I also hang out with Rose and visit the shelter again. Alice even calls a few times.

Everything is great, other than the knot in the pit of my stomach anytime I think about having to go in to talk to Jasper Whitlock.

Alice assures me he's a sweetheart, but of course she's going to think that since she's fucking him. Edward tells me he's not so bad and he'll be with me the whole time.

Figuring I just need to get it the hell over with, I tell Edward to schedule it, which is why we're in his car now headed toward Whitlock's office.

"So you talked to this Whitlock and you think he's okay?" They talked earlier in the week and now Edward seems to be more at ease about the guy.

"I think so. He seems to be on the up and up and just wants to figure out how his brother got hooked up with James."

"Sorry, but I still don't trust this guy. After all, his brother was a psycho who tried to kill us."

Edward grins and shakes his head. "That's fine, but maybe don't say things like that while we're in there."

"I make no promises."

He holds the door. "I wouldn't expect any different."

A man with dirty-blond hair greets us when we enter. He shakes Edward's hand then turns to me. "Miss Higginbotham, I'm Jasper Whitlock. Thank you for coming in."

He's attractive. I can see why Alice likes him. But I've seen plenty of good-looking guys who are evil inside. "Well I don't know what else you think I can tell you that I haven't already said, but I'm here."

He grins. "Well I appreciate you coming in all the same. We'll just talk a little, and if you don't know anything that can help me, no big deal. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

Taking a seat behind his desk, he gestures for Edward and me to take the chairs in front of the desk. He opens the file in front of him. "Isabella, I'm hoping you might know something about how my brother got mixed up with James Hunter."

"Call me Bella. I don't answer to Isabella. And I never met your brother until the day he tried to kill me. It wasn't like James kept me clued in on everyone he knew or his business."

He doesn't look pissed like I expect. Instead, he looks deep in thought. "I understand that. But if there's anything you can remember, maybe an overheard phone call, something James may have mentioned in passing, anything you may have heard him discussing with anyone you didn't know well ... it may help."

Before I can tell him I don't know anything, he continues to speak. "Maybe you could think it over for a few minutes while I ask Edward a few questions, okay?"

"Okay, but I really don't think I can help you." I'm ready to put James and everything connected with him behind me. The last thing I want to do is focus on my time with him. It's something I'll do, though, if it helps us get out of here.

He looks at Edward. "We didn't have time to delve into the details the other day, but you and my brother were friends?"

"Yeah. I mean, we hung out outside of work sometimes. We weren't extremely close, but we were friendly."

"And you knew there was possibly an officer working with James. Did you ever suspect Peter?"

Knowing this is painful for Edward and that Whitlock already knows about us, I reach over and hold his hand, offering him what support I can.

"We never suspected him. None of us. I left him to watch out for Bella that day. I trusted him completely."

Whitlock, looking pained, seems to be losing some of the professionalism he's maintained until now. "Did he ever mention being in any kind of trouble or being caught up in anything?"

"No, man. We never talked about anything serious. He didn't act any differently than he always did."

Clearly frustrated, the blond man props his elbows on the desk and puts his head in his hands. He scrubs his hands over his face before sitting back and addressing me again. "Bella, you knew James had a cop in his pocket. How did you know that?"

"James loved to brag. He was always bragging about something. More than once he mentioned how this town was perfect because there wasn't any real competition, and thanks to his connection on the force, the cops would never catch him."

"Anything else? Any specifics you can think of? How did he know Peter or why he was so sure he would protect him?"

Thinking back, trying to remember anything, I close my eyes and focus. "I heard him on the phone once after he killed Jessica. I have no idea who he was talking to, but I can guess now that it was your brother."

Whitlock perks up. "Can you remember what was said?"

Still keeping my eyes closed, I dig deep into my memories. "He was saying that _he_, your brother I'm guessing, better make sure the other cops stay off his ass. James was saying he won't go down for murdering some whore who had it coming."

Opening my eyes, I find Edward looking at me. His eyes are full of anger and pain at the situation I was in at that time.

"Anything else you can remember?" It's Edward that asks. I know he would also love answers.

"Just that maybe whatever happened with Officer Whitlock had to do with drugs."

Jasper leans forward. "Why would you think that?"

"You know James dealt drugs too. Usually he kept them away from his house. I suppose he was afraid the girls would steal them, or who knows why. Anyway, on occasion he did get a delivery there. I always tried to disappear when that happened, but one time I wasn't aware he had anything until I walked into the kitchen where he was packaging cocaine."

Swallowing hard, I continue even though I hate revealing the kinds of things I allowed myself to be involved with. "I thought he would be pissed, but instead he showed me one of the packages. He said it was the key to everything. That people would do anything for it, including break the law even when their job is to uphold it."

Edward leans closer to me, taking my hand this time, and in a gentle voice asks, "Anything else?"

"I should have walked away, but I wanted as much information as I could get and he seemed chatty at the time, so I asked him if that was the way he made sure we would never get busted in this town. He just grinned and said _he_ was protected, but he never said anything about us girls. After all, pussy was easy to come by and he could always find other whores. So I asked him how he knew one of the girls wouldn't turn on him if she got caught. He just laughed and said even if any of the girls got caught, his guy on the force would make sure she kept her mouth shut. I wanted to know how he could be so sure, and he said the guy was so far down the rabbit hole that he knew if James went down, he'd go down."

Whitlock speaks. "Was that the only time he ever mentioned having someone in the department directly to you?"

"Yeah." Suddenly I remember something else. "There was one other time. It was after a few of the girls had been arrested. James was getting really paranoid and upset. I heard him on the phone again telling someone that if they wanted their next hit, they'd better make sure all the bitches were staying quiet. He also said he wanted to know any new details, and that he needed to remember that if James went down, he was taking everyone with him and cops never did well in prison."

Edward thinks hard. "I never suspected Peter being on drugs. I've been around plenty of junkies, and he never displayed any signs I noticed, but then it's not like I was ever watching him for signs either."

Behind his desk, Whitlock pulls out another file. "Listen, this is top secret. Not many know what I'm going to tell you. We kept this very confidential." Edward tenses up, but remains quiet, ready for whatever comes next. "Cocaine was found in my brother's system during his autopsy. From further hair analysis, it seems he was a long-term user."

Edward stands and leans over the desk. "Why wasn't I aware of this? Does the chief know?"

Jasper stands too. He holds his hands up in a placating manner. "No one in your department knows. These results were sent directly to us. As a matter of fact, I just got the final hair analysis this morning. We needed to be sure Peter was the only one on the force that James had in his pocket. And I still need this information to stay quiet until my investigation is complete. I'm trusting you two to keep this to yourselves."

Now I stand up. "Are you fucking kidding me? What kind of games are you playing?"

Edward puts his hand on my shoulder. "Calm down."

"No. He"—I point at Whitlock—"didn't tell you this the other day. Why? Is he trying to trick us or something?"

"Wait. I know you don't totally trust me. I'm not trying to hurt or trick either of you. I just needed to be sure the department was clean before I could say anything. I still shouldn't have revealed that information, but since I'm asking for your trust, I owe you mine as well."

Edward turns me toward him. "It's okay. I understand why he didn't tell me. It's fine."

If he isn't upset, I guess I can let it go. Whitlock comes around the desk and stands in front of me. "I know what my brother tried to do to you, Bella. He deserved what he got. But he was my brother, and the man I grew up with, the man I knew … this wasn't him. I just need to know what happened."

Feeling a little badly for Jasper, I offer him what I can. "If I remember anything else, I'll let you know. I'm sorry I don't know more."

"No. Don't feel bad. You've been a big help."

I give him one more thing. "I didn't know your brother. What I did know was terrible. But I can tell you from personal experience that we don't always choose the path our lives take. Sometimes we end up where we are without even realizing how we got there."

He holds his hand out. "Thank you, Bella. It's been a pleasure meeting you."

Edward trusts the guy a bit and Alice is crazy about him, so I'll be seeing more of him. Alice has even mentioned double dates. So I try to be nice. "Meeting you hasn't been as bad as I expected." There, that was nice enough.

The men laugh at me.

Then he shakes Edward's hand. "I look forward to getting to know you better. I know you're important to Alice, and what's important to her is important to me."

Edward rolls his eyes. "I still can't believe you're dating my sister. You do realize she's a constant ball of energy, right?"

Jasper laughs. "I do and I'm loving it."

Such a kiss ass. We say a final goodbye and Edward leads me from the office.

Once we get into Edward's car, I stop him from putting the key in. I take his hand. "I don't think I ever thanked you for pushing to solve Jessica's murder. Some people wouldn't have cared since she was a prostitute."

He takes my face in his hands. "Baby, she was a person. Her job didn't matter. What mattered to me was that she had thoughts, feelings and dreams. She didn't deserve to die."

Even though I don't let it fester, I do have some guilt that lingers. "I wish I could've been stronger and come forward on my own. I let her down."

"You protected yourself. You're a strong person. No one faults you. And it's only because of you that we were able to convict James."

Leaning over, I kiss him. "Thank you."

He leans his forehead against mine for a moment. "I love you." He pulls back to look deeply in my eyes. "You're my life now, so thank you for keeping yourself safe, for pushing me to open my heart, for everything."

He puts the key into the car, and, holding my hand, we drive away in silence.

I allow the events of the day and the last few months to drift through my mind. Even before I knew him, somehow I knew there was something out there. A reason for me to keep going and doing what I needed to. And now I know. It has always been him. And now I get to start a new life with him. That makes everything worth it.

* * *

**So we've gotten a bit more of Jasper. Wonder if he's going to really be a good guy, or is more like his brother than he'd have people believe? **

**And Bella has a new friend in Alice. Coming to Forks definitely seems to be a good thing for her. Of course Edward being the best thing to happen to her. ;) **

*****We are so happy to announce that we won Second Place in the Newbie Author category in the Fanatic Fanfic Awards. We are so grateful to you all that took the time to vote for us. We will never be able to thank you all for the support we've received since we started posting our stories. We never expected to garner much attention and we have been blown away. We've said it before, but you all make this such an enjoyable journey for us. Anyway, we just wanted you all to know we value every review, every reader and every single minute of your time you give us.  
**


	12. Digging Deeper

**Thanks as always to kitchmill who beta's these chapters and Mana Liz and Judyblue who pre-read for us. Their comments make us smile.**

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**EPOV**

First thing Monday morning when I get to the office, I head straight to Jasper's temporary one. I have to be sure he isn't going to mention anything about his suspicions. I don't care if people know I'm seeing Bella, but I can't have them thinking it developed before the trial was over.

I knock on his door and wait for him to answer.

"It's open," he calls.

After turning the knob, I peek around the edge to let him know it's me. He sits back in his seat and studies me as I walk to the chair across from his desk.

"Morning," I say. "We need to talk."

He throws the pen he was holding onto the desk and stands. "Okay, but not here. Let's walk down to the bakery and get a coffee."

"Sure." I follow him out of the precinct.

Once we're on the sidewalk, he speaks. "I don't think this is a conversation that needs to be had at the station. You never know who might be listening."

My brows rise. "Oh? You think we might have another dirty cop on the force?"

"Well, that's a possibility, but this is more for the sake of James' trial. We can't have the wrong person hearing anything we're about to discuss." He stops and looks at me. "That is what you want to discuss, isn't it? Bella, or should I say you and Bella?"

I stick my hands in my pockets and nod then look to the ground for a few seconds before I meet his eyes again. "I need to know you're not going to mention anything. Not that you know anything, but you do suspect, and that's enough to warrant concern."

He motions down the sidewalk, and we continue walking. "Look, Edward, I want James behind bars as much as the rest of you. Even if I had evidence of an improper relationship, there's no way I'd turn it over and have that trial voided." He grabs my arm, stopping me once more and looking into my eyes. "But even besides that, I'd never hurt Alice that way. I know that nothing between you and Bella had any effect on the murder of Jessica Stanley. What happened during your witness protection detail has no bearing on James' crimes."

I study him carefully, looking for any sign he might not mean what he just said, and I can't find any reason not to believe him. "All right, Jasper, I have no choice but to believe you, but just know I'm willing to do anything to protect the people I love. That includes Alice and Bella."

He chuckles. "You'll never have to worry about protecting Alice from me. It's more likely the other way around."

I smirk. "She has you wrapped that tight, huh?" I pat him on the back, and we enter the bakery and order coffee to go.

Jasper and I make our way back to the precinct, and I leave him in his office where he's preparing to interrogate James about his brother. I don't expect him to get much information, but he has to at least try. I'd do the same if it were my brother.

I make my way toward the chief's office to see how he's holding up. From my talks with Bella, it didn't go too well between them. Given enough time, hopefully she'll come to terms with it on her own. This is her decision and I'll back her one hundred percent, but it doesn't mean I don't still feel for the guy. He's a good man, and I think if given the chance, he'll make a good father.

Before I even make it to Charlie's office, I run into him in the hallway. His appearance pulls me up short. I'm used to a caterpillar mustache, but this is way more than that. His jaw is lined with thick black scruff with hints of gray throughout, and his eyes have dark circles underneath. This is not the man I'm used to seeing.

When he notices me standing there, he tilts his head and I follow him into his office. He plops into his chair behind his desk. "What is it, Cullen?"

I remain standing. "Well, not exactly what I came to say, Chief, but you look like shit."

He heaves a sigh. "Yeah, rub it in, why don't you? It's been days since I've had a good night's sleep, and I honestly don't know what to do to make it better. I know I need to give her time, but it's a hard pill to swallow knowing your daughter hates you."

I rub my forehead. "I think hate might be too strong of a word. Severe dislike or detests maybe?"

"Either way, it isn't good." He leans on his desk and cradles his head with his hands. "Tell me what to do, Edward. Something, anything to make it better."

I take the chair across from him. "Chief, I wish I knew what to say, but I don't. She's pissed. You should've told her as soon as you came to that conclusion. Hell, you're still not positive."

"Trust me, I know she's mine. I see my mom in her so clearly." He leans back with a slight gleam in his eye. "Do you … do you think you could get me a sample of her hair? Let me run the test and get proof."

I hold up my hands. "No fucking way am I getting in the middle of that. I'll ask her in your name, _when_ I feel she might be receptive, but that's the most I can offer. I won't pull any sneaky shit behind her back."

He smirks. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, Cullen. I'd expect no less from any man who wanted to date my daughter."

I chuckle. "There's no want to it." I lean over his desk. "I already am."

"Ugh, don't remind me." He waves his hand. "Now, go on and get back to work. I have major sulking to do."

I shake my head and leave him to wallow.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The rest of the week is spent collaborating with Jasper's investigation by focusing my attention on the local drug crowd. He concentrates on how his brother ended up in James' back pocket and addicted to drugs.

Bella couldn't provide any direct evidence when we met with Jasper, but was able to relay some of the things she heard during her time with James, maybe something will come of it or maybe it won't. Either way she did her best, and that's all he expected from her.

I almost hate to say it, but the more I learn of Jasper Whitlock, the more I grow to respect him as an officer of the law and a boyfriend to my baby sister. He's dedicated to what he does, and I truly believe his only purpose here is to find out what happened with his brother. Sadly for him, I doubt he'll be able to clear Peter's name. The deeper he gets, the worse it's looking.

By Friday afternoon, I'm glad the weekend is here and can't wait to see my girl. We've talked and texted daily, and I saw her yesterday when I brought her in to talk to Jasper, but I'm ready to spend some real time with her that has nothing to do with work.

Just as I stand to head out for the day, Emmett appears at my door. "Hey, man, what's up?"

I slip my jacket onto my arms. "Just getting ready to head out for the day. Why?"

"Oh, nothing really. Rosie wanted me to invite you to dinner Sunday," he says.

I nod. "Sounds good, as long as Bella's okay with it."

When I picked Bella up for lunch with Alice, Rose called me into the kitchen. It was her intent to apologize to me for the way she acted in the courtroom, but I stopped her before she could even start. I made it clear she never has to apologize to me for protecting Bella. I'm happy to know Bella has people besides me looking out for her. Rose might've gotten a little teary over that, but it's just the plain truth.

Emmett chuckles. "She's okay with it. She even agreed to help Rose cook."

"Well consider me in. I think it'll be fun to hang out with another couple. Maybe we could go out sometime soon too," I suggest.

"You know I love me some food and will never turn down a chance to eat," he says, rubbing his stomach.

I shake my head and walk over, shutting off the light. "All right, man. See you Sunday … or before."

We walk into the hall and I pull my door closed behind us. "Oh, you and Bella have plans?" he asks, wiggling his brows.

I roll my eyes. "I'm sure we do, I just don't know what yet. I'll be calling her as soon as I'm home though."

"Cool." He fists bumps me and walks off in the opposite direction.

When I arrive home, I pull off my suit jacket, roll up my shirtsleeves and kick off my loafers. It's been a long week, and finally I can sit back, relax and call my girl.

"I was wondering when I'd hear from you," she answers on the second ring.

Hearing her voice brings an automatic smile to my face. "I just walked in the door, actually. What about you? Do anything interesting today?"

"More stupid math practice tests. I think I've about got it though. I've signed up to take the test next week," she answers.

I rest my head back on the couch. "You'll do amazing, baby. Have you thought about what you're going to do after you get your GED?"

She sighs into the line. "Not enough. I'm starting at the shelter on Monday, but I want more than that for myself. If I'm going to continue working there, then I'll need to take some classes so I can bring something to the table besides just helping out. I'm still not positive that's what I want though."

"You have time, Bella. It's not like you need to decide right away. Give the shelter a try and maybe you'll learn that it is something you want to pursue, or maybe you'll realize it's not for you. There's a whole world of things out there for you to choose from," I assure her.

"True, and I have enjoyed visiting there every time so far. I'm just not sure if I want it to be my career. Either way, though, I'll finally start earning a paycheck. Then you'll have to let me take you out," she tells me.

"Oh? Where would you take me, Bella?" I ask in a low voice.

"There's only one place I want to take you when you talk to me like that," she purrs.

And this is going nowhere good. My pants have already tightened from the simple flirtations. Time to wrap this up.

I clear my throat and make sure to sound lively again. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

She perks back up, too. "Nothing too busy, I hope. Alice has invited me to the gym with her in the morning. I'm actually quite excited to be going. Getting in shape is never a bad thing."

Just the thought of her working up a sweat is enough to bring my cock alive once more. "Bella," I growl. "I can't take the images you're creating telling me that."

"Oops, sorry, Edward. I wasn't even trying to _fuck_ with you."

"Goddammit, woman!"

She bursts out laughing, and even that doesn't help my predicament. Everything about her is sexy, or maybe knowing what it's like to have her makes it that way. I don't know, but this going slow is going to be hard in more ways than one.

"All right, Bella. How about I go take a shower to cool off, then I'll grab a pizza and come over. We can watch TV or sit on the porch swing. Just spend some time together. Sound good?"

"Aw, I like you all hot and bothered," she pouts. "But I suppose I can see your point. See you in an hour?"

"See you then. I love you, Bella."

"Love you," she says and ends the call.

The rest of the weekend is spent with Bella as much as possible. I presented her with flowers and pizza Friday night, a month's membership to Alice's gym on Saturday, with the understanding that she could pay the next one, and a bottle of wine on Sunday for dinner. Each and every time I leave her gets harder and harder. Surprisingly, Bella seems to be easing into the going slow rule and is becoming the one to stop our kisses from crossing a line.

By Monday morning, it's time to put a plan in motion. A plan for moving us along. It may be a little soon right now, but it won't be much longer until we're ready. So I make an important stop—one that is just the beginning of Bella and my life together.

The rest of the week is spent putting together a task force. It's my new mission to get as many drug runners off the street as possible. Every time we arrest one, Jasper interrogates them for any type of lead on Peter and what he'd been up to.

At the end of the week we're finally able to get in a young officer from Port Angeles to do some undercover buys in hopes of rounding up some of these street dealers. Since James is out of the picture, someone must've taken over. The drugs are still being moved, even though prostitution has plummeted.

I sit in my car watching the undercover officer attempt a buy. There's a group of young men standing on the corner, so he approaches them. Even though they've never seen him before, he easily scores. As soon as he walks away, my team and I start to move in. There's one target in our sights: the guy who made the sale.

I give the signal and my team moves in, rolling up beside the group only to have them scatter. Officers jump from their cars and take off on foot pursuit. I keep my eyes trained on the one we're after and allow everyone else to fade from my sight. He darts down an alleyway with two officers close behind. I jump from my car and head straight for a storefront, running into the building.

"Where's the back door?" I yell to the person behind the register, flashing my badge.

She raises her hand and points. I follow her motions and run out the back door just in front of the punk running down the alley. He side-skirts me, and I take off right on his heels. When he starts getting a couple feet on me, there's only one thing left to do. I lunge and grab him around the waist, taking us both down to the ground.

"Get off me," the punk screams, trying his best to get free again.

I flip him over, breathing heavily, and put the cuffs on his wrists. "You have the right to remain silent." I read him the rest of his rights and get up, snatching him from the ground.

The other officers have caught up by now, and I hand him off to McCarty. "Put him in your car and bring him to the station."

"Good nab, Cullen." Emmett smirks at my panting ass.

"I'm too old for this shit," I respond with a chuckle. "Get him into an interrogation room as soon as he's booked, and let Jasper know when he's ready."

I head back to the precinct and inform Jasper we're bringing in a dealer for him to interrogate later today. What I don't know at the time is this might just be our biggest lead yet. Turns out, our dealer is none other than Marcus Volturi, younger brother to defense attorney, Aro Volturi. Somehow, I don't think that's a coincidence.

Even though it's Friday and I'm ready to see Bella, I decide I need to be a part of this interrogation. I let Jasper know I'll meet him soon and give her a call.

"Hey, baby, home already?" she asks when she answers.

I sigh. "Not yet. Look, I have someone important in here on some charges, and I need to be in there when Jasper interrogates him. I know we're supposed to celebrate you passing your GED tonight, but I'm going to be a little late."

She actually took the test yesterday, but we decided to wait until tonight to go out and celebrate. What she doesn't know is that I had planned a little get-together with all of our close friends and actually invited my parents also. I think it's time.

"Ah, so this is what it feels like to be stood up," she teases.

"Never," I growl. "It'll just be a little later than we planned. That okay?" I ask.

"Of course, baby. You take care of those criminals and call me when you're free. I love you."

"Love you," I tell her and hang up.

Then I call Alice.

"What's up, brother?" she asks, already knowing it's me.

"Hey, Ali. Can you maybe call our parents and cancel for tonight? Let them know I had work come up and can't make it on time. Set up something for soon, though. It's time they meet Bella in an official capacity, and I'd like you and Jasper there," I plead with her to do my dirty work.

"Ugh, you know how Mom is. She's going to want answers, Edward," she complains.

"I know and I'm sorry, but it is work. Jasper can't make it either yet."

She sighs. "All right, but you owe me. And how about Sunday dinner, not this weekend, but the next? That will make her happy."

"Sounds good. Make sure they know I'm bringing a date," I tell her.

"Will do. Talk to you later."

I make a quick call to Emmett and tell him we'll have to all get together another time. I let him know that I've already called Bella and will just take her to dinner when I finally leave here.

"So you think this might go somewhere, huh?" he asks.

"My gut says yes," I tell him.

"You have to follow it then. I'll let Rosie know and we'll all go out soon. Later."

With that out of the way, I head to Jasper's office. He's just coming out the door.

"You ready?" I ask. "There's no way this is a coincidence. I feel it in my gut. This might be the key into figuring out how your brother got involved in the drugs."

"I hope you're right," he says as we start down the hall.

When we enter the room, the cocky little punk just smirks. "Old man, I'm surprised to see you here. Thought you'd be holed up in your rocker by now after that run."

I chuckle at his ass. "Caught you, didn't I?"

Jasper breaks in. "Sorry to interrupt this pissing match, but I have a few questions of my own."

The punk turns to him. "I don't have to answer any questions. I've already called my lawyer."

My brows rise. "Let me guess. Big bro Aro? You know he'll just let you get sent to prison"—I lean across the table—"just like James."

His eyes widen just a touch. "He's smarter than James. He'll look out for me."

"Are you saying James didn't look out for you?" Jasper asks.

Marcus smirks. "Nope, he was willing to sacrifice whoever he needed to stay out of jail. Blood is thicker than water though."

Jasper takes a seat across from Marcus. "Yeah, he sacrificed my brother, too." His face is sad and he's trying to play on this kid's sympathies.

Clearly it's working. "That cop was your brother?"

"He was. Somehow James got him so deep into drugs that he couldn't tell what was right and what was wrong anymore." Jasper gets emotional.

I break in. "Look, Marcus, all we want are answers. You're facing some serious charges selling to an undercover, but they could go away if you help us."

"What do you want?" he asks.

"I want to know how my brother got tied up in this mess. Please, if you know anything, you have to tell me," Jasper begs the kid, and it's painful to watch.

Marcus sighs. "All I know is that James was holding something over him. The drugs didn't come until later. I guess he couldn't handle what he was doing anymore and turned to the drugs."

"What do you mean, couldn't handle what he was doing?" Jasper asks.

"Man, he'd been under James' thumb before he even joined the force. That's why he joined, because James made him," Marcus answers.

Jasper's brows furrow. "But that would mean he's known James for years, like more than ten."

The punk holds up his hands. "That's the story as I know it. We all knew that if something happened to make sure Peter knew and he'd take care of it."

I lean across the table once more. "So you expect us to believe that's all you know?"

"That's all I know, man. Look, James is a sadistic fuck. When he realized Peter was hooked on coke, he started using it to play with him. I guess he got off on watching him jonesing for it. He'd cut him off and laugh about it. I started slipping it to Peter behind James' back. When James found out he exploded, but he couldn't do anything and he hated me for it. I'm glad that sick fuck is behind bars." He stares me dead in the eyes as he says this.

"So you admit to selling my brother drugs?" Jasper asks.

"I did no such thing." He crosses his arms over his chest. "I helped him out. That's all. He never paid me a dime."

I start to pace around the room. There's something between the lines he's not saying and I can't quite put my finger on it.

"You said James couldn't do anything to you. Why is that?" I stop and turn to him.

He shakes his head. "No can do, old man. I've told you all I know about the cop. You gonna let me go now?"

It's my turn to smirk. "No can do, punk. The charges stay, and if you can bring us something useful, we'll revisit this conversation."

"What! I told you what I know. You can't do this!" he yells.

Jasper stands and leans closer. "We can and we will. Get me more information and I'll get your charges dropped. Otherwise, you'll be in prison next to James."

"I can't tell you anything more," Marcus says with clenched teeth.

"Well you better hope Aro can do a better job for you than he did for James," I say snidely.

"Speak of the devil," Jasper says as none other than Aro himself walks in the door.

"Officers." Aro smirks. "I'll need a moment with my client."

"He's all yours," Jasper says as we make our way out the door.

When we get down the hall a few feet Jasper stops and leans against the wall, taking a deep breath. "He's been in James' pocket the whole time he's been a cop. How? How could that be?"

I reach over and give his shoulder a squeeze. "I don't know, man. But we _will_ find out."

I give him a firm pat and make my way back to my office, determined to salvage a quiet dinner with my girl. I need to hold her in my arms after a week like this one. I pull out my phone and shoot off a text.

_Can I see you in fifteen? ~ E_

_Please ~ B_

I head out of my office and straight for the car, not even bothering to do anything other than nod in passing to Jasper on the way by his office. I feel like we found out something today, I'm just not quite sure what it is.

When I pull up at Rose and Emmett's, Bella is already sitting on the porch. Before I can even get out of the driver's seat, she starts for me.

I shut the door and hold out my arms. She fills them with her body and I fold her in close, taking in her smell as my mind becomes filled with only her.

Everything from this week fades and is replaced with Bella. She soothes my weary soul with just her very presence.

I lean back and place my palms on her cheeks. "Congratulations, baby. I'm so proud if you."

Then I press my lips to hers.

* * *

**So Charlie's a mess and we're learning little things about Peter. **

**See you next chapter!**


	13. Mr and Mrs Cullen part 1

**AN: Thanks as always to our ladies kitchmill, Judy and Mana. They make this story so much prettier for you all.**

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**BPOV**

"Rose! I'm not sure how to wear my hair." I'm rushing to get ready and I'm a basket case. Edward is taking me to meet his mom for the first time. They come from money, so I want to make a good impression.

"Calm down." Rose leads me over to a chair and sits me down. She grabs the brush and starts with my hair. She ends up pulling half of it back and clipping it up. I jump up and run to the mirror.

"I could've done that."

"Thanks, Rose. This looks nice, Rose. I appreciate your help, Rose." She crosses her arms and raises that damn brow.

Smiling at her, I run over and hug her. "Thanks, Rose. It really does look nice, Rose. I do appreciate your help, Rose. I'm sorry I'm being a bitch, Rose."

She rolls her eyes. "Don't worry about it. Seriously though, you look great. They're going to love you. Plus, you've already met everyone except Mama Cullen."

"I know, but mothers are always the most important. Trust me, some men have crazy attachments to their mothers. If she hates me, Edward may never want to see me again."

Rose looks around.

"What the fuck are you looking for? I'm trying to talk to you."

"I'm looking for my friend Bella. She's about yay tall"—she holds her hand up to her chin—"she's badass, doesn't take shit from anyone, and is a confidant woman."

Now I roll my eyes. "Okay, you've made your point." I take a deep breath and stand up tall. "Tonight's going to be great. And even if it's not, Edward loves me no matter what."

She steps in front of me and picks a piece of lint from my dress. "Now there's the Bella I know."

The doorbell sounds and it's Edward. Time to go.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

I'm still a bit nervous as we walk up to the door, but Rose is right. I'm not about to let this situation unnerve me. I've been through much worse. I faced a murderer in court. I've got this. After all, I've already met Alice, Whitlock and Edward's dad, Carlisle.

We pull up to a large house that looks like something I've only seen in movies. It's all stone and glass. I'm pretty sure only Edward's parents live here, so I'm not quite sure why they need such a big home, but whatever makes them happy I suppose.

Once we're at the door, he opens it without knocking and guides me in with his hand on my lower back. He continues to lead me further into the house, and we end up in the living room. My eyes immediately fall on Dr. Cullen sitting on one end of the couch. Then I look over and see a woman who must be Edward's mother sitting on the other end. They both stand as we come fully into the room.

Dr. Cullen's eyes definitely grow wider as he realizes who I am and that I'm here with his son. He quickly gets control of himself. "Edward, son, it's good to see you. Miss Higginbotham, it's nice to see you again." His dad extends his hand to his son for a shake and back pat.

Then we turn toward Mrs. Cullen. She comes rushing right up to Edward. "Oh, baby boy, I'm so glad you came. I feel like I never see you anymore." They hug and he pulls back before grabbing my hand and pulling me closer. "Mom, this is Bella. Bella, this is my mom, Esme Cullen. You've already met my dad."

"Hi, Mrs. Cullen. Good to see you again, Dr. Cullen."

His mom straightens her shirt and smoothes her hair as she stares at me, appraising me no doubt. I stand at my full height and meet her eyes. I may not be exactly what she envisioned for her son, but I'm good for him and I love him. Hopefully she'll see that.

She extends her hand for a quick limp shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella. If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on lunch. Please make yourself comfortable."

As she heads out of the room, I can't help but think that it didn't go well. I didn't know what to expect, but that wasn't really it. Before I can continue to brood anymore, Carlisle motions for us to sit so we all grab a seat. The silence is uncomfortable until finally Edward breaks it. "So, how's the clinic going, Dad?"

"Good. Really good. I'm enjoying it a lot. It's nice not to be as busy as I used to be in the city, but I still feel like I'm helping."

They make idle chit chat before we hear a voice yelling through the house, "We're here!"

We all hop up and head toward the entrance to the home. As soon as she sees us, Alice, who's just arrived with Whitlock, runs over and gives Edward and me each a hug. Then she does the same with her dad before heels click and Mrs. Cullen comes down the hall.

She gives her daughter a hug before admonishing her. "Allison, must you yell? I've asked you not to do that."

Alice rolls her eyes before giving an insincere apology. She pulls Jasper closer, much like Edward did with me. "Dad, Mom, meet Jasper Whitlock, my boyfriend."

After more chit chat, this time between everyone, we all end up sitting at a huge table filled with all kinds of yummy food.

"Mom, this all looks really good," Edward pipes up as soon as we're all seated.

"Mrs. Cullen, this looks amazing. You must have been working on this all day." Jasper kisses a little ass.

As she spreads the napkin out across her lap, she smiles. "Thank you, boys, but I'm afraid I can't take the credit. Edward, you know my cooking isn't this good." She laughs lightly and looks to Jasper. "We have a cook we use on certain occasions and felt this would be an appropriate one."

"Yes, my wife is wonderful at many things, but cooking isn't necessarily one of them." Carlisle teases his wife, but the look on his face is only devotion. Clearly they are still very much in love.

"Bella, I still want to take you out to celebrate as soon as you have some free time. And don't forget, I expect you to drop by the boutique." Alice just opened up her boutique and has been bugging me to come in. She's even threatened to make me model some of her designs for her.

"I promise I'm going to visit. I really hate that I missed your grand opening, but it was my day to work, and we'll definitely need to get together for that celebration."

"No sweat. I know my brother will make sure you come by soon, right, big brother?" She makes puppy dog eyes at him.

"Sure. Anything for you, baby sister," he tells her in that sarcastic voice he seems to save for her.

"What are you celebrating, may I ask?" Dr. Cullen asks politely.

I put my utensils down. "I passed the test to get my GED and I started a new job working at the shelter. And of course Alice's grand opening."

"That's great, Bella. Congratulations." Dr. Cullen seems genuinely happy for me.

"Your GED? How old are you, Bella, if you don't mind my asking," Mrs. Cullen says.

"Mom, you of all people should know you never ask a woman her age," Alice interjects.

"It's fine, Alice. I'm almost twenty." I swear she gasps. She was at the trial for a bit, but it was before I testified, so I'm not sure how much she knows about me.

"Twenty? Oh, that's very young." She turns to Edward. "That's very young."

He smirks and gazes at me with a look that very much mimics what his father gave his mother. "Yes, it is pretty young. Bella's very mature for her age, though. She's lived a lot in her short years."

"How did you two meet?" Uh oh. The million dollar question. I let Edward take this one.

"Mom, Bella is the woman I've been guarding."

Her eyes grow huge. "The _prostitute_?" If my heart wasn't in my throat, I'd almost want to laugh as she whispers the word "prostitute," like it can't be said at normal volume.

"_Former_ prostitute, yes. But Bella is so much more than that. She's a wonderful woman, and I'm very lucky she agreed to go out with me."

He reaches out and squeezes my hand. I squeeze his back, but hope he recognizes by my glare that I will kick his ass for this later. He should have warned his parents about who he was bringing and already told them about me.

A silence settles over the table. Mrs. Cullen looks like she's completely in shock. Dr. Cullen goes back to eating while darting his eyes over to his wife every few seconds. Whitlock and Edward also resume eating. I guess that's a guy thing.

Poor, sweet Alice keeps opening her mouth like she wants to say something, most likely trying to think of something to lighten things up.

I've lost my appetite so I just watch everyone else. It might be amusing under other circumstances … if it weren't my ass in the hot seat, so to speak.

Finally Mrs. Cullen clears her throat and meets my eyes, fake society smile plastered on her face. "So, Bella, are you with my son for money?"

"Mom!" Edward immediately starts to stand. I reach out and grab his arm, stopping him. I tug a little, getting him to take his seat again.

"It's fine, Edward. I'm happy to answer any questions your mother has." I turn back to Mrs. Cullen. "No, ma'am. I wasn't even aware that Edward came from money for quite a while. I thought he was simply a detective doing his job, and I'm well aware that detectives don't make that much. Also, if I were only interested in money, I've had plenty of opportunities to be with someone for only their bank account."

Now she turns to Edward. "Are you with her for the _sex_?" Again, she whispers the word "sex" like it's a bad word.

Edward's face pales and he looks mortified. "No! I'm with her because she's an amazing woman. She's loving, funny, she puts me in my place and she's the strongest person I've ever met."

I melt a little as he talks. I wish I had him alone right now. I can't look away from him until his mother clears her throat again, calling my attention back to her.

"So why are you with him?"

I have to answer this honestly. "He's a good man. He's brave and strong. He's never judged me or treated me like less than human. He's a hard worker, but for the right reasons. He genuinely wants to help people. He's got the kindest heart of anyone I've ever met. I also won't deny that he's gorgeous. Why wouldn't I want to be with him? I'd be a fool not to, and regardless of what anyone thinks, I'm not a fool."

From the corner of my eye, I catch Edward staring at me. Meeting his eyes, his face shows nothing but total adoration. No matter what happens here in this house, he and I will be fine. Better than fine.

Tearing myself away from him to look back at his mother, a soft look is on her face for the first time. "Well, son, I can see now why none of the women I've tried to set you up with ever worked."

"Yeah, because they were airheads and only cared about what he had in his pants and wallet," Alice pipes up, which earns her a look from her mother and a grateful smile from her brother.

Mrs. Cullen moves her attention back to me. "My son is a good man, and any woman would be lucky to have him. Hopefully you're sincere, and if you are, we'll have no trouble. All I want is for my children to be happy. I will be keeping my eye on you, though."

"Mother. I'm a grown man, not to mention an officer of the law. I don't need you to look out for me," Edward says.

"Edward, dear, one thing you'll see someday if you're ever blessed with children is that no matter how old they are, where they are in life, they will always be your babies and you will always do whatever you can to protect them."

They continue to lightly bicker back and forth a bit, but I'm stuck on what she just said. She may be a bit bitchy and snobby, but Mrs. Cullen seems like a good mother.

"Ma'am." My voice is slightly raised, making sure I'm heard. "I definitely can't promise to be perfect and I'm sure I will do things to upset him, but I'll be good to him."

"We couldn't ask for more." This time it's Dr. Cullen who speaks.

The attention switches a bit to Whitlock and Alice. It's fun to see Mr. Internal Affairs actually sweat a little and be on the other end of an interrogation. My appetite comes back, and it's nice to sit and enjoy a meal while watching the scene in front of me, at least now that I'm not a part of it. Even Dr. Cullen gets in on questioning the man dating his baby girl.

My eyes, as they so often do, make their way over to Edward, who is also watching his sister and Whitlock get grilled. He must sense me looking since he turns toward me. He gives me a wink and everything is great. Any remaining tension I held melts away.

Finally, the evening is over and we're back in the safety of Edward's car heading home. Overall, things really went pretty well, and I may have a small crush on Dr. Cullen now. The man is a total DILF. And I can clearly see where his son gets his charm from him.

We arrive back at the house before I even notice. "So … are you okay? I'm so sorry about my mom. She's really a good person. She just grew up around old money and has all of these ideas …"

I reach over and place my hand over his lips. "Baby, it's fine. I wish I would have known ahead of time that they didn't know who you were bringing, and you will be punished for that, but I'll never fault her for being worried or caring about you. You and Alice are really lucky to have such good parents."

He removes my hand from his mouth and holds it between both of his. "You have a shitty mother, baby. She never deserved you. And I'm sure you don't really want to hear it, but you have the chance to have a father. The impression you have of him is bad, and most of that was his fault. But he's a good man, and he cares for you."

My head thumps back against the headrest behind me. "You say he's a good man. Rose likes him. But he took you away from me, he hid the fact that he might be my father and he's basically been an ass almost every time I've met him. How am I supposed to ignore that?"

"Okay, first of all, you have to stop looking at it as he took me away. _I_ screwed up._ I_ broke rules. He would've been well within his rights to fire me. I would've been removed no matter who you were to him, and as much as it hurt us, he did his job."

This time it's his hand over my mouth as I start to speak.

"Hold on. Let me finish. Second, yes, he fucked up. He could've handled things differently. He should have. But there were so many other things going on. And no one says you need to ignore anything. Just maybe talk to him. Listen to his reasons. If nothing else he can tell you more about your family, where you come from. No one will blame you if you can never see him as a father or even a friend."

My hands are back in his and there's only love on his face. He will never judge me no matter what I decide. "I'm scared. I've pictured finding my father so many times and it was never like this. And what if he isn't my father? There's just so much to consider."

"How about this: first thing we do is make sure he _is_ your father. That doesn't mean you have to make any other decisions or start buying him Father's Day gifts. But it will answer one question, and then you'll know."

Taking a deep breath, I steel myself for what I'm about to agree to. "Okay. I think the test is a good idea."

That earns me some serious kissing. By the time I finally pull away the windows are steamy. He immediately tries to pull me back. "Where are you going? Bring those lips back."

"Uh uh uh. You've convinced me that I deserve to be wooed, so no nookie from me yet. I'm actually quite enjoying being wined and dined without the sixty-nine."

He reaches down and adjusts himself. "I'm glad you're enjoying it now. You deserve to be treated like the most precious thing in the world, because that's what you are to me. But you're just so damn sexy. This is much harder than I expected."

My eyes go to the large bulge in his pants. "I can tell it's … _hard_ for you baby." I lick my lips. "But just think of how good it's going to be when we finally give in."

"Okay, you better go inside unless you want me to reverse out of this driveway and take you back to my house. I do want to keep doing things the right way and I'm glad you like it, but when you look at me like that, all I can think of is having you back in my bed."

Leaning over, I place a chaste—for me, at least—kiss to his lips before pulling back just slightly. "Soon, baby. Soon you're going to have me in your bed. And on your couch and in your kitchen and everywhere else you've imagined." With one more quick peck, I'm out of his car running up the porch before he shakes himself out of the stupor I left him in.

The driver's window rolls down. "I'm going to get you back for that, love. That's a promise."

Giggling, I let myself inside, knowing he'll definitely pay me back and looking forward to it.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Once again, I'm rushing around getting ready. Edward and I are going on another double date with Emmett and Rose tonight.

We've been on a few now. We usually go with Rose and Emmett, but we've also been out with Alice and Jasper. It's not that good for Edward and me to be alone together while we're still trying to take things slowly, so these dates work great.

I'm just pulling on my shoes when he rings the bell and it's time for us all to go.

For the first time we end up heading to a popular pub that's close by. Edward tells me he's been there a few times with Emmett and Rose before as well as with some of his co-workers. I'm guessing that includes Peter, but we have an unspoken agreement not to speak his name again if possible.

"Are you sure you're okay with going here?" Everyone has asked me several times if I'm okay going here.

I want to roll my eyes, but they're all just being nice and showing they care about me. They've mentioned this place before, but always nix the idea and it's because of me. I finally insisted we go. "Yes, it's fine. Just because I'm too young to drink doesn't mean I can't enjoy hanging out here."

"Okay, but just let us know if you want to leave."

"Baby, I'll be fine, but I promise to let you all know if I want to go."

Edward's hand goes to my lower back, leading me inside and steering me toward a booth near the back. We don't want to hide that we're dating now, so small touches and shows of affection are okay.

We sit down and almost immediately a waitress comes over for our order. She looks a little too hard at Edward and Emmett, but I can't blame her. She manages to still behave professionally, so I don't mind if she wants to enjoy the view.

Em, being the human disposal he is, orders several things for our table. I get water while everyone else orders beer. At first Edward starts to also order water until I tell the waitress to disregard that and bring him a beer too. After that, he finally seems to settle down.

"Bella, I meant to tell you that I love that outfit on you," Rose points out.

I splurged with my first check from the shelter and bought a new pair of jeans and some heeled sandals. "Thanks. This is the first time in forever I've shopped for clothes I can actually wear in public. I still need to build a new wardrobe, especially now that I'm working, but I figured jeans are always a good place to start."

Edward, always trying to help, pipes up. "If you need some new clothes, I'd be more than happy to buy you some. Though just so you know, I hope you keep up your old wardrobe when we're alone together."

I burst out laughing at that. "You used to hate my clothes … or lack of. My, how times have changed." That earns me a sexy wink, which earns him a kiss. "Anyway, I really appreciate it, but I'm okay. I have some things Rose gave me and I'm also going to visit Alice at her boutique soon."

"Oh, I've been wanting to go check her place out. Do you care if I go with you?" Rose asks.

As if I'd tell her no. "Of course you can go with me. We'll figure out when we both can make it, and I'll call Alice to let her know."

Our food and drinks arrive pretty fast, and we sit around eating and talking for a while.

We're laughing and having a great time when a shadow falls over the table. Looking up, I see the prosecutor from James' trial.

"Well hello, Isabella." He looks at the rest of the table. "Ah, fancy seeing you here, Detective Cullen."

Edward has gone rigid next to me. "I'm surprised to see you here, Black. I didn't think this little hole in the wall was your speed."

"Yes, well, it usually isn't, but I guess this is my lucky night." His eyes cut back to me. "I've been wanting to come check on you and make sure you're okay since the trial, Isabella."

I really don't want to talk to him, but he can make things more difficult if he suspects anything. "That's thoughtful, but I'm doing really good. Thanks." I try to smile without it looking too fake.

"So, what are you doing hanging out with these two?" He motions to Edward and Emmett.

"Oh well … um … I work with Rose now at her shelter and she and Emmett were nice enough to offer me a place to stay while I work on getting my life straight."

Edward speaks up. "She's also my date."

Black's eyebrows shoot up. "Really? Well, I must say I'm surprised to hear that. Very surprised."

I don't care for the look that comes across his face. "Well, I need to be going. Nice to see you all. Isabella, enjoy your evening." Then he leaves.

Edward watches him until the door closes behind him. "I hate that guy."

"Yeah, he's slimy. I've known too many guys like him. Hopefully that's the last we'll see of him for a while," Rose says as she also looks at the door.

Tension settles over our table. I'm starting to get uncomfortable, but leave it to Emmett to shake us all out of our thoughts and worries.

"Who wants to play me? I feel the need to kick some ass," Em says as he motions to the pool table.

After he beats both Edward and Rose, he looks to me. "So, little Bella, you want to lose to me too?"

"I don't know. I'm not the most coordinated person. Will you go easy on me?"

"Bella, you don't have to play," Edward says.

"Yeah, Bella. He just loves to show off. Don't let him talk you into it if you don't want to play," Rose chimes in.

"Nah. It's okay. I don't mind. But, um, can I go first?"

Em looks like the cat that ate the canary. "Sure. At least that way you'll get to have a shot."

He racks up the balls while I select a stick. "Okay, here you go, Bells. The balls are ready."

I lean over, checking everything out. "So I just use this stick and hit the white ball and try to hit the other balls into those pockets?"

Em's smirk grows even bigger. "Yep. That's it."

I look back at him. "Okay. Here goes." I look to Edward. "Wish me luck."

He walks over to me and leans down close to my ear. "Good luck." Then he backs away to go stand with Rose again.

I look at them both once more before making my shot. Three solid balls sink into pockets. I start calling my shots and making them while Emmett stands there with his mouth hanging wide open and a dumbfounded look on his face.

Edward and Rose are silent too.

Finally, I only have the eight ball left and call that shot too. Before I can line up, Em finally snaps out of his daze. "Hey! You know how to play. You tricked me!"

I lean down and line up this final shot. Without looking at him, I let him know he was correct. "Just be grateful I didn't make you put money on it. I've made plenty hustling people like you." I throw him a quick wink before sinking the eight ball.

"Oh my gosh! That was awesome. Thank you so much, Bella. He's needed someone to do this for years now." Rose runs over, giving me a hug.

Edward comes over, giving me a hug too before whispering in my ear, "Baby, that was so hot."

"I'll give you private lessons sometime." I smirk at him.

"Absolutely." He grins.

"Okay, break it up, you two. Time to go." Em comes over, breaking our bubble.

"Did you have fun, Bella?" Rose asks as we walk out.

I look at Edward and then at Em and Rose. "Best time ever."

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**Okay so... Lots happening. Bella met the 'rents. What'd ya think of Esme? Hate her? Understand her? Sympathize? Want her to die a slow death? Overall how'd you think it went? **

**A double date for E/B and Em/R. Good times ... especially when Bella hustled poor Em in pool. Lol**

**See you next time for part 2 of chapter 13... **


	14. Mr And Mrs Cullen part 2

**AN: I know a lot of you skip these, but seriously, our team deserves major love and I hope you guys read at least a few of these so you know how important these ladies are to us. Thanks so much kitchmil, Judy and Mana for everything!**

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**BPOV**

"Here, try these." Alice throws some more clothes over the dressing room door. Rose and I have been here for hours, and Alice's still finding things for me to try on.

When I try to tell her I can never afford the stuff she sells here, she offers me a deal. I model some of the clothes for her online store, allowing her to use pictures of me there and be placed around the store, and she'll pay me with clothing. Trying to convince her she's insane for wanting to use me is hopeless and I'd be an idiot to refuse, so I agree.

"Your stuff is beautiful, Alice," Rose tells her, looking lovingly at her packages that contain several outfits.

"They really are. I've never seen so many gorgeous clothes in real life." My own fashion knowledge is limited, but she's very talented with her creations and at choosing clothes from other designers.

"At one point I thought about just designing, maybe having my own clothing line. But I want to be more in control and this way I still get to design, but I also get to help other designers and do it all in my own shop."

Coming out in each outfit, Alice gushes about each one. She's set aside several that she wants me photographed in that she likes the best.

After I've seemingly tried on everything in the shop, we go get something to eat.

We head back to Rose's house after we get our food since Em's at work, piling around the kitchen table and digging in. For a while we focus on our food before Alice breaks the silence.

"So, how are things going with my brother? You both seem really happy together."

Rose perks up too. She loves being nosy.

"Everything's good. We're _still _taking things slow, but it's been nice. I have to admit that at first I hated it. I wanted to jump right back into bed. But I've started to really enjoy just dating like normal people. I'm still ready to jump his bones, but … sorry, that's your brother. You probably don't want to hear about sexual stuff."

Rose lets out peals of laughter, while Alice looks a little pale. "No, I'd rather not hear about my big brother and anything sex related. As far as I'm concerned, he has Ken doll genitals. But I'm glad things are going well. I've seen my brother with dates and girlfriends throughout the years, but I've never seen him like he is with you. It's amazing to see."

I ask her about Whitlock, and like every time he's mentioned, the chick talks like a sappy romance novel. Still it's nice to see her happy … even if it's with a guy whose brother tried to kill me. I will begrudgingly admit, though, that after our double dates, Whitlock is growing on me a bit. I'm still not sure he can be totally trusted, but he seems okay. Hopefully no one else in that family is insane. I wouldn't want Alice marrying into some wacko family, and that's certainly where they appear to be heading.

"How about the shelter? Do you like working there?"

Rose touches my arm, breaking in before I can respond. "She's amazing. Everyone loves her. She's really doing great."

"Well, I really enjoy it. I like all the women there, and it's so good to have an honest job and actually feel like I'm helping people. I'm still not sure it's the kind of work I want to do forever, but it's perfect for me right now."

Alice's face turns as serious as I've ever seen it. "I'm really happy for you, Bella. We haven't known each other long, but you're one of the best friends I've ever had. I know you've had a rough life and even though I don't know all the details, you deserve good things."

Dammit! These Cullens know how to get into my heart. Between them and the McCartys, I'm becoming a total softy.

"Thank you. It would've been easy for either of you to write me off before you even met me knowing what I used to do, but neither of you did. You both have always treated me like a friend." I get a bit misty eyed.

Rose takes my hand. "You are our friend. Your past is just that … the past. I'm not sure what led you to where you were, but that isn't who you are. Plus, you know my past so I have no room to judge. Not that _anyone_ does since no one has walked in your shoes or lived your life."

I'm guessing she wants to make sure Alice doesn't feel left out, because she spends the next few minutes telling Alice her story. The same story she told me when we first met. Alice in turn tells us about finding out she was pregnant her senior year of high school.

"No one knows this, and, Bella, I hate to ask you to keep anything from my brother, but I'd really prefer he not know."

"I don't like keeping things from Edward. I remember how upset I was with him when I thought he kept something from me."

She looks at me with her big, sad eyes. "I know. It's shitty of me to even ask that from you. Just, please, I don't want him to know. He'll look at me differently."

I lean over and take her hand. "Alice, your brother loves you. Nothing you could ever say to him will make him think differently of you." Taking a deep breath, I blow it out. "I won't say anything to him since it isn't my place … as long as it doesn't directly involve him. But I really want you to consider telling him and I won't lie to him. If he ever asks anything, I won't pretend I know nothing."

She laughs, but there's no humor. "Trust me, he'll never ask about any of this. He thought his sister was perfect in high school. I do understand where you're coming from, though, and I respect that."

"I understand if you don't want to share anything with me now." I It would suck, but she has to know the truth when it comes to Edward.

"I appreciate your honesty, Bella. I'd still like to tell you both."

"Then we're here for you," Rose tells her.

"Okay. Thanks." She gives us each a small smile before starting her story. "I had a boyfriend in high school. Of course I thought we were in love. We'd been dating a year. He came from money, and my parents liked him. My mom was already planning our wedding."

I laugh a little because I can definitely picture Mrs. Cullen doing that.

"Things were great until I got pregnant. He dropped me as soon as I told him. He even started telling everyone I cheated. I guess he was trying to make sure I couldn't pin the baby on him. I was heartbroken and humiliated. My mom was on my case wanting me to try to work things out with him. Of course she had no idea what was really going on. I was terrified to tell my family the truth, so I scheduled an abortion out of state. The only true friend I had took me. The whole procedure was horrible. I was terrified the entire time, but I knew I couldn't have the baby. The recovery was rough. A lot rougher than I expected, but at the time I just assumed it was normal. But recently I found out that it caused some scarring and I might have trouble conceiving if I want children someday."

Tears are running down her face by the time she finishes talking, so Rose jumps up and grabs some tissues.

"So no one knows except us?" I can't believe she trusted us enough to tell us. It makes me love Alice Cullen even more.

"No. No one knows. I'm not sure how to tell Jasper, but I need to. I'm really scared, though. But I've needed to talk to someone since I found out, and I knew I could trust you both not to judge me." She continues to sniffle and wipe at her face.

"You should talk to Jasper. If he really loves you he'll understand and be fine with everything. But you'll feel so much better if you talk about things." Rose hands her more tissues and helps her wipe her face.

Watching them, these two women who have become such good friends to me, I know it's time for me to tell my own secrets. After Alice calms down and seems to be under control again, I decide there's no better time than now.

"You both are so brave, and I really am grateful you're my friends. If you want to know, I'll tell you about my life before I came here. You must be curious about how I ended up working for James, but you've both been so nice to me by never asking specifics and giving me time. But I'm ready to tell you now if you want to know."

Alice speaks up, "Only if you want to tell us."

"We'll definitely listen, and we'd be proud that you want to talk to us, but only if you really want to. No pressure." Rose lets her know in a soothing voice.

"I want to tell you both. Edward knows, but I've never told anyone else."

"Then we'd be honored," Rose says as they both lean forward, giving me strength in their compassionate faces.

I tell them about being born to a flighty mother who moved us around all the time. How she refused to ever tell me anything about my father or any other family. Then I tell them how she met Phil when I was thirteen.

"Phil was younger than her, but she didn't care. They married quickly and seemed to be in love, so I was happy for my mother even if I thought the whole thing was a bit crazy and fast."

I go on to tell them about moving in with Phil, his career as a minor league ball player, and his injury that resulted in not being able to play anymore.

"Once he was injured, he became a different person, or maybe he was always like that and just hid it before. Either way, after his career was over he changed from who he seemed to be before. He became cruel. It seemed I could do nothing right for him. He constantly yelled, and before I even knew what was happening, my mother started drinking."

I take a breath, and my mind goes back to those terrible days. "Over time he started to become abusive. Slaps, pinches and escalating to punches and kicks. Then the touching started."

Rose sucks in a breath and grabs a tissue for herself. I give her a sympathetic glance.

"The touches and threats got worse. I knew it was only a matter of time before I lost my virginity to my mother's husband, so I decided that wasn't going to happen. I knew I might not be able to stop him from eventually raping me, but no way was he going to be my first. I didn't have many friends since I had to keep so many secrets, but I was desperately lonely. I ended up hanging with a bad crowd. They never asked any questions and didn't care that I never wanted to go home. It felt like they just accepted me as I was."

I hate that I can't just tell the story, but I also relive it. It's hard to disconnect myself from that time as I talk about it. "One of the guys seemed to like me. He was a much better choice in my mind than Phil, so one day I fucked him. It was horrible and not at all romantic, but it was perfect because it was _my_ choice. After that I learned sex was a useful tool. Suddenly all the boys liked me, and if I had sex with them I was able to escape from my real life for a while. I could even stay overnight with some of the older boys as long as I fucked them. It seemed perfect. They got sex and I got away from home."

I don't even notice the tears running down my face until Rose wipes them away. Each of them grabs one of my hands, offering support.

"When I was sixteen, I was finally cornered by Phil one day while my mom was at work. I didn't know he was there. He was supposed to be at work too, but I guess he was too hungover to get his lazy ass up. If I had known he was there, I never would've gone inside. I was in my room getting some clothes together. I had plans to stay with someone for a few days. He came up behind me and threw me on the bed before I even knew what had happened. He was on top of me before I could get my bearings. I struggled and fought, but he managed to get my clothes off and force himself on me. When he discovered I wasn't a virgin he was so pissed. He got even rougher and ended up choking me until I nearly passed out. I really thought he was going to kill me that day."

"Oh, Bella." Alice's tears run down her face again.

"I went to my mother and begged her to leave. I told her what had happened. She refused and blamed me. I knew then that I had lost my mother forever. She was drunk, as usual, so I managed to get some information out of her about my father and where she was from. If I wanted to live, I knew couldn't stay. The thought of going back in my room made me physically sick, so I just grabbed any clothes I could from the laundry room, stole what money I could find and got the hell out of there."

"So you met James while trying to find your father?" Rose inquires.

"Not exactly. I met Victoria first. She took me in and was a friend to me. She was also a Madame, and soon enough I started working for her. It was my choice and she tried to talk me out of it, but by then I didn't see sex as anything special and only as a means to an end. Vic knew I wanted to come to Forks, so when she found out James was coming she introduced us. You pretty much know the rest."

That was rough to get through, but I actually feel like a huge weight has been lifted. It even feels like I'm breathing a bit easier.

"Bella, have you been to therapy?"

Knowing Rose only means well, I don't mind her question at all. "No I haven't. I realize I probably should, but until recently I've never been ready to admit that. I'm not sure if I'm actually ready to go, but I have been thinking about it."

"Maybe you could think about sitting in on some of the group sessions we offer at the shelter. You wouldn't have to do or say anything, but maybe with time you could consider sharing your story. Trust me, the more you tell it, the more empowered you feel and the less hold it has on you."

Knowing what Rose has been through, the suggestion doesn't piss me off like it would coming from anyone else.

"I'll think about it," I assure her.

After that we move on to lighter topics.

We're all still sitting around laughing and talking when Emmett comes in. "Aww … you ordered Chinese. Is there any left?" He looks absolutely crushed when he finds out we ate it all.

Shortly after, Alice says she needs to head home and that she'll call me about the pictures she wants me to pose for.

I head to my room and call Edward. I tell him about talking with Alice and Rose and revealing my past to them. He says he's really proud. We talk until I can't stop yawning, and after we exchange I love yous we hang up. I fall asleep feeling lighter than I can ever remember.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

A couple of weeks later, Alice drops me off from a photography session for her clothes when I recognize Swan sitting on the porch. I'm almost tempted to ask Alice to turn around and take me out of here, but I think about my talk with Edward. I need to talk to him at some point; may as well be now.

Getting closer to him, I notice he's looking rough. He has dark circles and he's lost some weight.

"You look like shit."

He actually grins at me. "Yeah, I know."

"Why are you here?"

He stands. "I just wanted to see you. I know you hate me, and I know you have no reason to believe me, but it's killing me to know I have a daughter and that she wants nothing to do with me."

"I don't hate you. I don't like you, but I don't hate you. I don't know you. All I know is that you hid the fact that you could be my father even though you knew I was looking. You also tried to keep Edward away from me and he's the best thing to ever happen to me."

"I fucked up. You have to understand. I _never _expected that Renee was pregnant when she took off. It was the biggest shock of my life when I found out who you were. At the same time I find out we have a dead officer and my best detective had gone and fallen in love with our witness. I didn't handle things well, but my mind was having trouble processing everything."

My mind turns over what he's saying, and I can understand where he was coming from _then. _"Okay, I can see that, but what about the other times you met with me? Why not tell me then?"

"Honestly, I don't know. In my heart I know you're my daughter, but we have no proof. Plus, the trial was going on and I knew you were under so much pressure having to go on the stand. It was a stupid choice on my part, but I didn't keep it a secret because I wanted to hurt you."

There are two questions I need answers to right now. "Why didn't you go with my mother when she left here? Why didn't you stay in touch with her?"

"I was crazy about your mother, but she was wild. She hated her life here. Some things went on with her parents, but she'd never talk about it. I don't think she was physically abused, but there were definitely problems. We started dating and I loved her. Then one day she's just gone. She left me a letter telling me she couldn't stay here, that she felt like she couldn't breathe in this town and with me. That was it. No one knew where she went. Her parents wouldn't tell me anything. She was eighteen so the police didn't care, especially since her parents weren't worried. I tried to find her, but I was young with no money. It's one of the reasons I eventually went into law so I would never be helpless like that again."

"And you never heard from her again?"

"No. Her parents died a few years ago, but they never mentioned her again. Until you showed up, it'd been years since I heard her name. I thought about looking for her as I got older and even did a small search, but I just figured she left everything behind … including me. If I had known she was pregnant I would never have stopped searching. I swear."

Scrubbing my hands over my face, my mind is whirling. My mother just took off and never told Charlie she was pregnant. She obviously didn't want me, so why not let my father know? All these questions are getting louder in my head. Only one person can help me right now.

"Charlie, I need some time. I still don't know you and I'm not sure I want to, but I'm willing to get the DNA test done to prove that you're my biological father. And I'm willing to talk to you again. For now, though, I need to go see Edward. Can you please give me a ride?"

He isn't crazy about Edward and me together and I'm almost daring him to say anything. If he wants any part of my life, if I decide that's something I want, he's going to have to accept Edward because he's going to be in my life forever I hope.

"Sure. Yes, I can take you there."

The ride is silent, but not uncomfortable surprisingly. As he drops me off he lets me know that he'll schedule the test and let me know what I need to do. I'm definitely not ready to accept the man into my life as my father, but it feels better to have talked to him.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Edward opens the door and steps out before I even make it up the porch. He watches Swan back out and must see the look on my face because he immediately pulls me to him. "Hey, baby. Are you okay? Did Charlie do something? What's going on?"

He guides us back into his house and to the couch. "I'm sorry to just show up. Charlie came by Rose and Emmett's. We talked a little, and all I could think of was being with you."

"You know you can come here anytime, love. Now what did you talk about?"

"He just told me my mother never told him she was pregnant and that she just took off one day. I just don't understand." I curl myself into him, needing his strength. "She never wanted to be a mother. She barely took care of me. Why not let him know she's pregnant and leave me with him? I just can't help but wonder how different my life might've been then."

He pushes me gently back. "Hey. You can't think like that." He runs one hand over my hair and ends up with his hand cradling the back of my neck. "If you had lived with Charlie, you would be someone different from who you are today. I love who you are. I hate with every fiber of my being that you had to suffer and struggle so much, but it has made you into the most amazing woman I've ever met."

I lean my head against his, forehead against forehead. "I might not have ever met you. Everything I've ever gone through is worth it because it brought me to you."

"I can't even imagine never meeting you. You're my life now. I can't even bear to remember the times before I met you. All of that was dark and gray. You brought sunshine and color into my world." He brings his hands up and places them around my face. He pulls me back until I can see his eyes. "My life is so much better with you in it. Those days without you, during the trial, were some of the worst days of my life. I want to make sure we're never apart again. Hold on a second, okay? I'll be right back."

Before I can even question what he's doing, he runs from the room. He returns as quickly as he left.

He kneels down in front of me. "Marry me, Bella?"

"Are you serious? You want to marry me?" My heart is pounding and I think I must have officially lost my mind and am now hearing things.

"Well this isn't how I planned to do this exactly, but yes, I want to marry you. I love you and want you to be my wife." He holds out his hand, and in it is a beautiful ring. The center stone is square and the band has diamonds all around it. I've never seen anything so gorgeous.

"Ouch!"

He laughs. "Baby, stop pinching yourself. This isn't a dream. Now are you going to answer me?"

"Fuck yes, I'll marry you." He starts to slide the ring on my finger. "Wait! I'll marry you on one condition."

His brows furrow. "What condition?"

"That we don't have to wait for the wedding night to have sex again."

More laughter erupts from his lips. "I can accept that condition. In fact, I love that condition."

"We're engaged!" My arms wrap around him and my lips start landing all over his face until I hit his lips. His hands tangle in my hair as soon as our lips meet.

What started as fun, excited kisses quickly morphs to slow and sensual.

He stands and pulls me up with him.

"Are you going to fuck me now?" If he says no I may have to kill him.

"Not right now." I start to protest, but he keeps talking. "Right now, I'm going to make love to you." He lifts me into his arms and walks us to his bedroom. I haven't been back here since we were forced to leave, but I miss it. And now I'm finally going to share his bed.

I feel the mattress underneath me as Edward lays me down. I look up in time to see him pull the shirt over his head. The body I've grown so familiar with is just as gorgeous as the first time I saw it. Reaching down, he removes my shoes. I lift just enough to pull my own shirt off and then reach down and unbutton my jeans. Before I can unzip them, his hands are there moving mine out of the way. "I want to do that."

Slowly my pants are unzipped and carefully pulled down my legs. I'm lying in front of him in only my bra and panties. He removes his jeans so we're both left in only our underwear.

I close my eyes and moan as warm lips trail kisses from the sole of my foot, up my leg, tongue peeking out in spots leaving a wet trail. His nose runs across my panties before repeating the entire process. My body is aching and every nerve is on fire.

The bed dips and kisses continue to rain on my stomach, my sides, my chest, up my neck before taking my mouth kissing me, drinking me in, molding his mouth to mine. Our tongues twirl and taste, neither one seeking to dominate, only taste and feel.

His hands reach behind me and unclasp my bra before pulling it off.

Breaking away from my lips, he whispers his love for me before moving his lips back down my neck, stopping to nip and tease my earlobe. The sound of his breath, the feel of his lips, it's almost enough to make me combust and he hasn't even touched any truly intimate parts yet.

Finally his lips move to wrap around a nipple. I never knew before Edward that I could orgasm just from stimulation to my tits. Of course Edward knows my body so well and knows every spot that makes me gasp and exactly how to play me like I'm a fine instrument.

Once I'm a panting writhing mess, his mouth makes a path down while his hands remove my final piece of soaked clothing until his tongue makes contact with my clit.

My hands fist into his hair, tugging him up. "Baby, that feels so good, but please, please, I need you inside me now."

He swirls my clit once more before placing a kiss there and moving to settle between my legs.

My eyes fly open now, not wanting to miss one more second of his beautiful face. He's flushed, hair a mess. So gorgeous and all mine. With no choice but to bury my hands in his hair, our eyes lock. He lines himself up and slides into me.

He stops and lets us both take a moment to adjust. "You always feel so good, baby, so tight." The vein on his forehead throbs, showing the restraint it takes for him to remain still.

"Well it's been a while and I practice my kegels every day. Now please move."

He pulls out before pushing back in. His thrusts are slow and deep. My legs wrap around him, my fingers now digging into his back. Our mouths meet, languid and wet.

Then he adjusts his angle so his pubic bone rubs against my clit with every thrust. Before long my orgasm is rushing forward. He speeds up, and before I can draw another breath, it crashes over me, causing my muscles to clench and my back to arch.

Even though I'm lost in pleasure, his swelling and pulsing inside me setting off a series of mini ripples of pleasure, almost too much to bear.

We both lie together, coming down from our high. He tries to move, but I lock my arms and legs around him and hold him in place. Even though he's not hard, I still love feeling him inside and his weight on top of me.

Before long he rolls us over and I find my ear over his heart listening to one of my favorite sounds. I may enjoy the wooing, but I've missed this.

As I hold my hand up and stare at my ring, I think back to everything we've been through up until now, especially our beginning. "See, I knew from the first time I was here that I'd end up in this bed."

I feel his smile against my hair. "As much as I tried to fight it, this is where you belong."

"Well, there's no getting rid of me now." I sit up, and he starts to harden again. "Ready for round two, Detective?"

"With you, always."

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**AN: Soooo… not sure what you guys might be happier about, the engagement or the sex. Lol. Hopefully both!**

**Our couple is moving forward and things seem to be going well. Bella is opening up more and seems to really be finding her place in life. Let's hope this positive turn in her life lasts…**

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*****Also, don't forget to check out Fyre's story Sharp Left Turn. You can find it on FFn and on TWCS. It's soooo good! If you're not reading it, why not? **

**See you soon! XOXO**

**Lissa**


	15. Breaking News

**Thank you to kitchmill for everything she does as our beta, and Mana and Judyblue for being our pre-readers.**

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**EPOV**

It's been a couple weeks since Bella agreed to be my wife, and while everyone we see daily knows, our parents haven't been told yet. Yes, I said _our_ parents. Bella and Charlie took the DNA test, and the results show Charlie is her father. It wasn't a big surprise to me; Charlie wouldn't have gone that far had he not been sure.

What was surprising was Bella's reaction. She didn't get angry, she just quietly accepted it without much attitude. She already was settled into the idea is what I'd like to think. She's heard his story and his reasons and has moved on to acceptance. Not that they've had any father/daughter bonding moments since, but I have a feeling she's ready to at least try to get to know him.

That's why as we lie on my couch, her back to my stomach, legs entwined, I've decided to broach a touchy subject.

I slide my fingers up her arms and link our fingers together, bringing them up to my lips to kiss her ring. She giggles and rolls over to face me. Since the proposal, we've been spending more time at my house, but we've managed to keep our libidos on the back burner … on most occasions.

I place a light kiss on her lips before pulling back to meet her eyes. "Baby, I was thinking that it's time we tell my parents about the engagement."

She squeezes my fingers before pulling her hand away and placing it on my chest, fiddling with the buttons of my shirt. "Do you think your mom is going to be okay with it?"

I push a stray curl behind her ear. "Honestly, I don't know, but I also don't care. She's not a bad person, she was just raised so far removed from anything like you've been through that it's harder for her to really understand. Ultimately, I think my happiness will be enough for her though."

"It's not like I'd let her opinion dictate what we do anyway, but I don't want to be the cause of problems in your family either," she says honestly.

It's time to bring up what I really want to mention. "I think we're both in the same spot when it comes to parents."

Her brows furrow. "What do you mean by that?"

I peck her lips. "I mean that your father probably won't be overjoyed at the news either."

"You mean you haven't told him? I expected you to ask his permission," she says sarcastically.

"No, actually, I was hoping we'd tell him together."

"Well, it's none of his damn business anyway," she snaps.

"Don't you think he has a right to hear it from us though? Just like my parents?" I press.

"What are you getting at, Edward? You want to invite my … _father"—_her nose crinkles—"and your parents over to break the news?" she asks.

"I was thinking of something more like meeting them for lunch, but yes, that's what I was hoping for. I want the world to know you're mine, and the sooner our parents know, the sooner we can get on with setting a date and planning a wedding," I reply, hoping she'll agree.

Her hands slide up to my shoulders and she leans closer, a smirk on her lips. "Why, Mr. Cullen, if you're not careful, I'm going to think you want this to be a short engagement."

I push my hands around her waist and press her body to mine. "That's exactly what I want, Miss Swan. Just long enough to look respectable."

"I don't care about looking respectable, Detective. That ship sailed long ago and I'm okay with that." Even though she says it in a playing manner, it still hurts to think she feels that way.

I roll us over so I'm on my back and she's lying on top, then I bring my hands up and cup her cheeks. "Don't let me hear you say anything like that again. You _are_ respectable and you _are_ my lady. Don't even joke like that," I stress.

She smiles a small smile. "Who knew you were so easily offended?"

I reach up and kiss her again. "I won't have anybody speaking like that about my woman, not even my woman herself. Got that?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Detective, sir," she says, barely able to keep a straight face.

"Alright, smartass." I give her ass a smack. "So, do you think you can make it through a lunch with the 'rents?"

She heaves a big fake sigh. "I suppose I'll survive."

I smile. "Good." Then I raise up, taking her with me, and deposit her on the couch beside me, reaching over to the coffee table for our phones. "Here you go. You call Charlie and I'll call my mom."

She crosses her arms and looks at the phone like it has a disease. "What the fuck, Edward? I agreed to go, I damn sure didn't say I was going to call and invite him."

I slump down in the seat beside her. "Look, baby, I know you're not ready to have that father/daughter relationship with him just yet, but think of it as an olive branch. This will be you opening a line of communication for once." I smirk. "Besides, imagine the look on his face when he realizes what you invited him to hear."

She laughs outright. "You're evil and I so love it. Hand me the phone."

I chuckle and hand it over. "I'm thinking maybe one o'clock tomorrow at Newton's. Is that all right with you?"

"Sure, that works."

~~~~~WS~~~~~

When I make it to work the next morning, I already have a message from Jasper waiting for me, so I make my way to his office. I knock twice before opening the door and walking in.

"What's up, man? Got some news for me?" I ask, walking over to take a seat.

He leans back in his chair with a smirk. "Yeah, you're not going to believe this. Marcus contacted me. He wants to bring us some more information."

My brows rise into my hairline. "Yeah? What brought that on?"

"I don't know. He sounded paranoid and afraid someone would overhear him," he tells me.

"You think he's got anything useful?"

He shrugs. "We won't know unless we talk to him."

"Did you set something up?" I ask.

"I tried, but he was being evasive. I guess he'll contact me again when he's ready."

I shake my head. "Wonder if he's just fucking with us?"

"Could be, or there could be some serious shit going down that he's mixed up in. I say we wait him out and see what he has to offer." Jasper's hoping Marcus can help him figure out what Peter's connection to James was. I'm just not so sure he can be trusted to give us the truth.

"He isn't leaving us much choice, but in the meantime, let's try to find that connection to James on our own. Maybe we need to trace back some years. Where did you and Peter grow up?" I ask, trying to get a little more perspective on the situation.

"My whole family is from Port Angeles. Didn't you hear me tell your parents that?" He looks at me like I'm stupid.

"Oh, yeah, now that you mention it, I do remember you saying that." I was too busy being worried about Bella and how she felt about my mom's questions to pay that much attention to what Jasper told my parents. "Hmm, I wonder if we can trace James to PA during any time back then. Give me a rundown of the timeline with Peter there."

Jasper takes an interest with where I'm going here and starts thinking back. "Let's see. I was pretty young when Peter graduated, ten I think. But after that, he attended the community college for a couple years and then he up and quit. Next thing we know, he announced he was entering the academy."

"So maybe we need to check out the community college in PA, see if James was enrolled?" I offer as a next step.

He nods. "Yeah, I guess I can get the roster for those couple years."

I rub my hands down my thighs. "Okay, sounds like a good starting point. You work on that, while I go break the engagement news to our parents."

He chuckles. "Our parents? You mean Charlie, too?"

"One and the same," I tell him.

"Does that mean Bella's softening up to him then?" he asks.

"Uh, no. I think the only reason she's allowing him to come is to see his face when he hears the news."

He really laughs now, a full on belly laugh. "I knew I liked Bella."

I puff up my chest. "Yeah, she's one of a kind all right." I stand and move toward the door. "Keep me posted on what you find."

"Will do," he answers, and I turn and leave him to it.

When I make it back to my office, I find Charlie sitting in my chair spinning from side to side. "What's up, Chief?"

"Bella called and invited me to lunch today," he states.

"Yeah, I know," I tell him.

"Do you know why?" he asks.

I scratch the back of my neck. "Um, sure, but you'll have to wait until then to hear it." I look to my watch. "As a matter of fact, it's about time I head to pick her up."

He deflates a little. "Oh, I didn't know you were joining us."

"Yeah, and, um, my parents." I rush to the door not giving him time to respond. 'See you there, Chief."

When I pull up at Rose and Em's, Bella is waiting on the porch. I get out and meet her on her side of the car. "Hey, beautiful. You look gorgeous."

She's wearing a flowery dress that emphasizes her hips and just hints at her ample cleavage. Her hair is in a side ponytail, hanging over her shoulder, and sandals with thick heels complete the look. She's a stunner, that's for sure, and I can hardly believe she's mine sometimes.

She reaches over and wraps her arms around me. "Umm, you smell good," she says into my ear as she hugs me. When she pulls back she meets my eyes. "And you're looking mighty fine yourself, Detective."

I smirk and open her door. "My lady," I say, sweeping my hand out in a grand fashion.

She smiles and climbs into the car. "Thank you, kind sir."

I close her door and retreat to the driver's door. Sliding in beside her, I reach over and allow my hand to slide up her creamy thigh. "You knew what this dress was going to do to me, didn't you?"

"Ah, ah, ah, Detective," she says, removing my hand. "I only wore this dress to impress the 'rents. It isn't for your benefit."

"Trying or not, you're definitely tempting, love, but I'll behave." I grab her hand and twine our fingers together for the rest of the ride.

When I've parked at Newton's, I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her ring. She pulls back and fidgets a little. "Um, do you want me to take it off at first? Until we've told them?"

"No way. I doubt the men will notice, and we can just wait for Mom to, and tell them then. Shouldn't take too long. She is a woman after all," I assure her.

"Are you sure that's the way you want to tell them?" she asks with a small smile on her lips.

"I'm sure I don't want you taking that ring off until I slide the wedding band in its place," I say confidently.

"Me either," she says. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come open my door. Let's get this show on the road."

I chuckle and peck her lips before going around and retrieving her from the car. We walk into Newton's hand in hand, looking around to see where our families are located and lay eyes on Charlie right away.

I take Bella's hand and lead her to the table. Charlie stands when he sees us. "Edward." He nods then focuses on Bella. "Bella, I'm glad that you invited me out today." There're nerves in his voice and it's not something I'm used to hearing.

"Edward and I have something we need to tell our families," she tells him a little stiffly.

He beams anyway. Being included in the word family from Bella's very own mouth must be like a drink of ice water in the desert for Charlie Swan. "I'm delighted to be included."

She smirks. "I'm glad to share it with you."

I decide Bella might be having too much fun building this up, so I pull out her chair, hoping to end their conversation. Charlie thinks she's genuinely being nice, and all the while she just wants to see him squirm. Besides that, I think this might be a test he needs to pass in order for her to start trying more.

As soon as she's seated, Mom and Dad approach, so I remain standing to give my mom a kiss on her cheek and a handshake for Dad.

"Oh, Charlie, Edward didn't tell us you'd be here. So nice to see you again," my mom tells him.

He clears his throat. "Thank you, Esme. Nice to see you, too. Both of you." He nods at my dad.

"You, too, Charlie," my dad answers.

A waitress comes over to take our drink orders, and when she walks away again, my mom gasps.

Bingo!

Bella immediately puts her hand below the table, but I reach over and grab it, placing it back on the table and hold it firmly in sight.

"Is that … is that an engagement ring?" Mom asks, looking between Bella and me.

Bella turns to me and tilts her head as if I should explain. "Yes, Mom. I've asked Bella to marry me, and she's said yes."

My dad, not one to get emotional and always so accepting of things, speaks. "Well, congratulations, son!"

"Thank you, Dad. I couldn't be a luckier man." I turn my huge smile onto Bella, only her eyes are fixed on Charlie, so I look his way.

His mouth is agape as he stares at the ring on her finger. She's waiting expectantly to see what words will finally leave his mouth.

Finally, his eyes flash to hers. "Yes, con … congratulations, Bella, Edward." Then they fall to the table.

"Don't you think this might be moving fast, son?" my mom breaks in.

I turn to her. "Not at all, Mom. I know what I want and intend on living the rest of my life worshipping this woman."

"But, but, what will people say?" she asks.

Charlie speaks up then. "What do you mean, Esme? Are you saying my daughter isn't worthy of Edward?"

My mom's hand goes to her chest. "Daughter? And of course not! I just mean that this is moving so fast. Do you plan to have a long engagement?" She turns back to me.

"First, yes, we've learned that Bella is Charlie's daughter. And second, we haven't set a date, but when we do, we'll be sure to tell you," I assure her.

Bella, finally recovered from the shock of Charlie's defense of her, speaks up. "Thank you, Charlie. For … defending me." She turns to my mother. "I may not be worthy of Edward right this second, but I'm working on that and I'll love him more than any other woman ever will."

I grab her chin and turn her to face me. "Baby, it's me that's not worthy of you. Don't ever think it's the other way around." She give me a small nod, and I turn to my mother. "Mom, Bella is the most amazing woman I've ever met and I'd go to the courthouse tomorrow if she'd agree, so to answer your question, no, it probably won't be a long engagement at all. As soon as she agrees, we'll be married."

"Well, okay, then," Mom starts. "I'm happy for you both. A little shocked maybe, but happy nonetheless." She leans over the table, catching Bella's eye. "Honey, never think you aren't worthy of anyone. My son loves you and that alone makes you more than worthy."

Bella smiles and nods, and the rest of our meal is spent in normal stress-free conversation. It seems as if we made progress on several fronts today, and I'm excited about how it all turned out. Even Charlie earned some points in Bella's book.

As soon as we've gotten in the car and driven away from Newton's, Bella slides her hand over my cock. I lift a brow in her direction.

She leans over and nips up my neck to my ear. "What you said about marrying me tomorrow? Yeah, that has me hot and bothered, baby. I need to feel you."

"Don't tease me, baby. I can't take it," I say with a groan.

"Just drive," she says, nodding to the road.

I smirk. "Yes, ma'am."

My belt flicks open and my zipper goes down. She pulls my already throbbing cock from my briefs and licks her lips.

I slam my head back against the seat. "Baby, I'm a cop. You know this is illegal, right?"

Her response is to lean over and run her tongue around the head of my cock. Not willing to stop her, I focus on the road and allow her to suck me until I'm coming in spurts down her throat.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The next week has me in Jasper's office again. We're headed out to a downtrodden area of town to meet up with Marcus. He finally called Jasper back, and although it seems shady to me, I've agreed to go as backup.

The closer we get to the area the more uneasy I feel. "Man, you sure this is a good idea? He could be setting us up."

Jasper shakes his head. "No, I'm not sure, but I think he's scared. Something's up and it's got him all out of sorts."

"Well, let's hope he can give us something to go on then, otherwise this is a waste of our time," I say seriously.

We pull up and park outside a row of abandoned buildings. The metal gleams in the sunlight, making all the rusted spots stand out even more. Broken windows line the buildings with doors hanging from their hinges.

As I exit the car, I take my gun out of its holster and hold it at the ready, nodding for Jasper to take the lead. We creep up to the opening and slowly make our way inside. The scent of rainwater and rust flood the wide open space. There's not another soul in sight, so I relax my stance.

"Took you long enough, old man," Marcus says from behind me.

I spin and have him in my sights in seconds. His hands fly up in front of him, and when I'm sure he's not armed, I slowly lower my gun, nodding for him to step closer.

"You wanted us and here we are. Talk," I demand, not willing to hang out here any longer than necessary.

"I didn't ask you to come," he says with his smart mouth.

"Did you think I'd come alone?" Jasper asks.

"Nah, I didn't, but I don't need the old man rushing me so he can get home and to bed before seven." He smirks my way.

Fucking punk.

"How are we supposed to know that this isn't a setup?" I ask.

He shrugs. "You'll just have to trust me. Something's going down, man, something big."

"If you don't tell us, we can't stop it." Jasper tries to coax him into talking.

He keeps looking around, and it's clear what Jasper was talking about. He's terrified of something; I'm just not sure what. He makes his way over into the corner and beckons us to follow.

"I don't _know_ exactly what it is, but I know Aro's up to something and it ain't good," he says as we approach him.

"I thought blood was thicker than water." I smirk. "And why'd you call us if you can't tell us anything? Come on, Jasper, this punk's got nothing." I start to turn.

"Wait!" he yells, then lowers his voice. "I got more on the cop. It ain't much, but it's something."

Jasper immediately perks up. "Yeah? Well spit it out then, otherwise you're wasting our time."

He motions us closer and speaks in a low voice as if he's afraid the walls have ears. "Look, man, all I know is that it has something to do with James' sister."

"Bree?" I question.

He shakes his head. "I don't know her name. All I know is what James held over the cop's head had something to do with his sister."

Jasper looks to me. "Who's Bree?"

"She was James' younger sister. She died in a car wreck when they were in their teens," I answer.

"How old?" Jasper asks.

"I don't know, man. We'll have to check into it." An uneasy feeling creeps under my skin.

"See, that was good information. Aro is suspicious of me 'cause I kept wanting answers. He won't let me in on anything he's planning right now, and he's up to something," Marcus says then leans closer. "Whatever it is, it has to do with James."

I chuckle. "James is on his way to prison as we speak. He was sentenced to life without parole. He'll never see daylight outside prison walls again."

"Whatever, man. I'm telling ya, something's not right. I know my brother, and he's in deep right now," Marcus assures. "So how about them charges? Did I spill enough to have 'em dropped?"

Jasper sighs. "Let us check into what you told us and if something comes of it, then you got a deal. In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears open. The more info, the better shot you have."

"Come on, man, I tried. Aro's cut me off right now. He's been suspicious ever since I was picked up," he pleads.

"Well, be careful, and call if you get anything," Jasper placates.

We turn to walk away, but I stop and look back over my shoulder. "You can always turn state's evidence, and we can pick up Aro, too. Especially if you get afraid for your life. We can protect you."

"Thanks, but no thanks. That's still my brother." He turns and disappears out the side door of the building.

On the ride back to the precinct, Jasper and I chat about what we learned and whether we buy it or not. The mention of Bree has me on edge. Somehow, I can already feel that Peter knew her. It makes much more sense when thinking in those terms and the fact that she's dead. I'd almost bet anything we'll find her name on that PA Community College roster when we look.

"What do you think Aro's up to?" Jasper asks as we get close to the station.

"I'm not sure. I'm beginning to wonder if James was ever really in charge. Just go with me here. What if upstanding citizen defense attorney, Aro Volturi, really is the big drug dealer in this town? There're a few things Marcus has said about Aro that lead me to that conclusion. Maybe I've been overlooking the obvious," I murmur, almost thinking it as I say it.

"Wouldn't be the first time some big shot hid behind a real criminal." Jasper scoffs. "I've seen it all, and Aro is as slimy as they come."

"That he is, my friend, that he is," I agree.

By the time we pull up at the station, I'm ready to get to my office and really start digging into some things. It's time to see what Mr. Aro Volturi is hiding.

When we've barely made it in the front door, it's obvious something is wrong. Officers are scattering everywhere, each with some mission they're on.

Spotting McCarty, I pat Jasper's shoulder so he'll follow, and we make our way to where Emmett's armoring up.

"What's going on, McCarty?" I ask as we get close enough.

He looks up and his face goes ashen. "It's James," he finally croaks out.

My brows furrow. "Yeah, what about him?"

Emmett takes a deep breath and then utters the words I never thought I'd hear.

"He escaped."

* * *

**Uh oh!**

**See you next time!**


	16. Half Baked

**AN: Thanks so much to the amazing ladies that help us so much with this story - Judy, Mana and our wonderful beta kitchmill.**

* * *

**BPOV**

I've always enjoyed cooking. It isn't something I've had the opportunity to do often, but when I'm able, I really like it. Mixing various ingredients that don't necessarily seem like they should fit together and coming up with something delicious that delights me.

Since our engagement, I've been spending more time at Edward's place and have taken full advantage of his kitchen. After learning I can cook, Rose has been pushing me to cook more often at her house, too. Many times she even joins me in the kitchen to help and learn. Apparently cooking is the one thing she's never excelled at. She's not a bad cook, per se, but only has a few dishes she does fairly well. I've been teaching her some of my favorite simple dishes.

Emmett loves it. He swears he's gained ten pounds in the last couple of weeks. He and Edward even fought a few nights over who I should be cooking for that evening.

It's been a few days since I've spent quality time with Rose, so today she and I are baking up a storm since we're both off at the shelter. We also invite Alice over, but unfortunately she's working. Her boutique is growing and getting a good name for itself, but she still hasn't hired many people to help her out. She says she'll try to come if they aren't too busy. She's not the biggest fan of playing around in the kitchen, so it's more likely she'll come once she's sure the work is over.

Today we're making several types of cookies for the shelter. We'll make enough for Em and Edward to take to the precinct.

I've also gotten all the ingredients for an Italian cream cake. Edward told me once it's his favorite, so I'll make that too.

"Have you guys set a date yet?"

Both Rose and Emmett were happy for us when Edward and I announced our engagement. Alice was thrilled too. So far everyone has been supportive. Even Charlie, who Edward thought might say something once they were alone, hasn't said anything. He's managed to only be supportive … or at least he pretends to be, which is good enough for me. I don't really care whether he approves or not, but it still does mean something that he's at least trying.

Esme's been a big surprise too. She's brought over several bridal magazines and left me the names of various wedding planners, not to mention emails she's sent with dates we might like and even colors that would look nice. Edward finally had to tell her we haven't decided on anything specific yet, but we'd let her know when we did.

I sprinkle flour on the counter and grab my rolling pin. "Not yet. We're not in a big rush. We're just enjoying our new status right now. We've talked a little, but he's got some big case he's working on and I'm still working on establishing my life here. We won't wait much longer, but for now we're good with things like they are. Can you grab that bowl of cookie dough we made earlier?"

She goes to the fridge, returning with the dough. "That's understandable. Any ideas about where you want to have it? Some venues can have long waiting lists. There are a few nice places locally, but you'll probably have to go at least to Port A for somewhere really nice. I always loved the idea of an outdoor wedding, but around here they aren't exactly practical."

"Not really. I love the thought of something outside, but you're right, it's not really a good idea to do that here. I'm pretty sure we just want something small and intimate … only our closest friends and family there." I dump the dough onto the flour and roll it out.

"You could always do some sort of destination wedding since you want to keep it small," she suggests, handing over the cookie cutters.

I actually like that idea. I never considered that. I might have to discuss that with Edward. For now, though, I do need to discuss something with Rose.

"I'm glad you brought all this up because there is something I'm sure about," I say, as I cut the cookies into flower shapes.

Rose looks up from where she's placing the cookies onto a sheet. "Yeah? What's that? Your dress?"

"No. I have no idea about my dress yet. What I do know, though, is that I need you to be my maid of honor. Would you be willing to do that?"

Her eyes get glassy as she looks at me. "Oh my gosh! Really?" she squeals.

"Yes really. So is that a yes?" I laugh at her excitement.

"I'd love to, Bella. I'll be the most kickass maid of honor ever. I promise."

I quirk a brow at her and can already see wheels turning in her head. "I have no doubt about that. Thank you for agreeing. Now hopefully Alice will agree to be a bridesmaid."

"I'm positive she will. Well … as long as you won't want to put her in anything too ugly. I'll wear pea green for you if you want me to, but pretty please don't want me to. I would do it, though … for you. However I'm not sure if our little fashionista could handle that."

I snap my fingers. "Damn. There goes that idea." We both burst out laughing.

"Seriously, no pea green, okay?" Rose throws out after we've gone back to working on the cookies.

"No pea green or puke green or any other ugly shade of green. I swear." I hold up my hands in what might be the scouts honor sign, but I really have no idea. Either way we laugh again.

We're just getting ready to slide the first batch in the oven when the door opens.

"Bella! Rose!" Edward calls to us.

We both wipe our hands as Rose yells to let him know we're in the kitchen.

He comes rushing in followed by Emmett and Whitlock, immediately signaling something is wrong. Hoping I'm jumping to conclusions, I try to tease the guys. "Hey boys. No need to rush. The cookies aren't ready yet."

Edward comes over to me and crushes me in a hug.

"What the hell is going on? Emmett!" Leave it to Rose to get right to it.

Edward pushes me back from him enough to look into my eyes. "Baby, we just found out that James has escaped."

I suck in a breath and shake my head in confusion. "What? Are you messing with me? That's not fucking funny."

When I start to pull away from him, he tightens his hold. "I'm not making it up. He's escaped and …" He blows out a huge breath and looks pained. "I'm so sorry, baby, but we have to put you in hiding again."

Rose starts to argue from behind me. "No! She doesn't need to go anywhere. We can keep her safe."

This time Emmett speaks. "Honey, she has to go. I don't want her to either. No one here does. But I'm afraid this is possibly bigger than we ever thought and she needs to be safe. We don't want to take any chances, and it's very possible James will come after her."

"Fine. I'll go with her." The whole time they've been talking, I've been staring into Edward's eyes. It's clear that he's anguished about what's happening.

I won't let anyone else risk their lives, so I walk over to her. She has tears running down her face. Grabbing a towel, I wipe her cheeks. "Rose, you can't go." She starts to protest, but I keep going. "You have the shelter and your life here. You're too important to disappear for who knows how long. Edward will keep me safe, and when I get back we can plan the wedding."

She narrows her eyes at me and then takes a deep breath, letting it out in a loud sigh. "Fine. But you've become the sister I've never had. If something happens to you, I'm going to kick your ass." She turns to Edward. "And you better keep her safe or I'll kick your ass. Got it?"

He puts an arm around my shoulder. "I promise you I will." His arm slips from around me and lands on my lower back. "Let's go pack what you'll need." He leads me to my room.

I go to the closet and grab a bag. "Should I pack the same attire as I had the last time I was in seclusion with you, Detective?"

He smirks, but then grows serious. "Not this time, baby. Unfortunately we're not going to be alone. Jasper is coming with us."

What the fuck! "Why? Last time a Whitlock was supposed to _help_ us, you were shot and I had to shoot a man." I whisper the last part because no one in this house other than Edward and me knows the truth about that.

He comes over to me and puts his hands on my shoulders then runs them down my arms before taking my hands. "I know you're not sure about him, but you're sure about me, right? I would _never_ put you in any danger. I will never leave you alone with him if that makes you feel better. But, baby, we need help. There's no way I can guard you twenty-four seven by myself. James is more dangerous than ever, and we've found out that this may be bigger than we thought … some important people may be involved."

He's right. I do trust him. So if he thinks this is for the best, I'll go along with it … for now. "Fine, but if I get any bad vibes from Whitlock we'll get as far away from him as we can, okay?"

This time the smirk stays in place. "Of course. I love it when you're all badass."

Giggling, I start packing everything I might need.

After a bone crushing hug and few more threats from Rose, we hit the road. Edward and I are riding with Whitlock while Emmett will be following behind us halfway before turning back and returning to help with the hunt for James.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

After driving for several hours, we arrive at a pretty cozy-looking cabin. Finding out it belongs to Jasper's parents doesn't sit well with me, but I stay quiet about it.

"Come on in and make yourselves at home. It's been a while since anyone has stayed here, but my mother makes sure it's cleaned and checked out regularly. I'll take the room I normally stay in. If you're sharing a room, which I assume you are, you can take the master bedroom. All I ask is that I don't have to hear any of your activities from inside the room. Especially since I'm not sure how long it will be until I see my Alice again." Edward groans at Jasper's mention of Alice, while I can't help but laugh.

The men grab our bags and take them to each of our respective rooms. We all take some time to put our things away. Once we're all settled, we meet back in the living room. Jasper picks up the car keys. "Where are you headed off to? I thought you were staying here."

He grins at me, knowing I'm not too upset at the thought of him not joining us while we're here. "I am going to be helping guard you here, but we weren't expecting any of this and need some supplies, so I'm going to head out to pick some up." He focuses on Edward then. "I doubt anyone knows we've taken off yet, and even if they do, I'm not sure how long it will take before people put you and me together. I'm sure once we've both been missing for a few days, people will realize we're both in hiding with Bella. Either way, I still plan to drive pretty far just to be sure if I am spotted, it won't lead anyone back to this cabin."

That seems crazy to me. "Is all that really necessary? I'm sure James will probably just be focusing on getting out of the country, and even if he is looking for me, he didn't manage to find me last time."

Edward grimaces. "No, but someone did find you, and we want to make sure that doesn't happen again." He looks apologetically at Jasper, knowing it was his brother who found me.

Jasper clears his throat. "Exactly. So we're going to be even more careful than ever this time. You two are really growing on me, and on top of that, Alice would kill me if I let anything happen to either of you."

We all laugh knowing how true that is. Then he's out the door.

"So, Detective, we're going to have to be pretty quiet soon. Wanna make some noise with me while Jasper's out?"

He swoops me up and throws me over his shoulder, giving me a solid smack on my ass. "Oh, baby, we're going to scare the wildlife." And with that, he runs us back to our room.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

After we've successfully made enough noise to wake the dead, we're cuddled up when I start my questions.

"Give me the details. How did James escape and how long has he been free?"

"Jasper and I were out meeting with someone and when we came back we noticed something was happening. We found Emmett and asked him. He told us about James. He didn't know much so I went looking for the chief. He was in his office yelling on the phone, but hung up when we came in. He told us that James was being transported to prison. It looks like he has people still working for him, because the transfer van was headed off and the guards were shot before whoever it was freed James."

I stifle a gasp against Edward's chest. "Did the guards die?"

He kisses my hair. "No. Whoever helped James had automatic weapons, but thankfully they didn't kill anyone. One of the guards was shot in the leg and the other was shot in the stomach under his vest, but he'll survive."

"Thank God. Was the seclusion Charlie's idea? Did he give you a hard time about coming with me?"

"Actually, the three of us—me, Jasper and Charlie—decided getting you away was the safest thing to do. Chief didn't say anything against me coming. He simply made me swear I'd keep you safe. Jasper volunteered his parents' cabin since we aren't sure how much James may know about our safe houses. At that point all I could think about was getting to you and making sure you were safe." He pulls me up so my face is level with his before kissing me. "I can't even imagine anything happening to you. I was so scared driving to get you." He kisses me again, this time slow with his tongue sweeping into my mouth.

We pull away panting. "How long do you think we still have before Jasper comes back?" I ask him, grinning.

"Long enough." Then he rolls me under him. I'm still wet from our earlier activities so he easily slips inside and we make the most of the alone time we have left.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

A couple of weeks pass and we're all tense. It was easier being in seclusion the first time because I had no life I wanted to go back to. Now I have so much out in the real world. At least Edward's with me. Otherwise I'd go mad.

He and Jasper take turns staying up all night keeping watch. Most nights I stay up with Edward and keep him company. In turn he keeps his promise of not leaving me alone with Jasper by locking us in together while we nap during the day for a few hours.

Well, he naps. I usually lie in bed and read or simply watch him sleep. When we first got here, I would doze with him. Lately, though, I've been plagued by nightmares. The one that keeps recurring most often is James showing up with Phil. Together they make me watch them kill Edward. These dreams have gotten so persistent that honestly I'm terrified to sleep now. I can handle them showing up, but watching Edward die over and over is a torture I can't bear to endure.

Not wanting Edward to know the extent of my issues and to keep him from worrying about me, I fake sleeping most of the times we're in bed. I've never been much of a sleeper, so for now it's enough to lie in Edward's arms and rest. Being curled up next to him makes me feel safe and chases any remaining demons away.

Normally I'm content to stay in the room while he rests, but today I'm restless and not even Edward's peaceful face is enough to calm me. I venture out of the room before I end up waking him.

Heading for the kitchen, I check for what I can whip up for dinner tonight. Maybe we have things for me to bake something to go along with whatever I cook.

I'm rumbling through the cabinets when Jasper comes through the door that leads to the deck.

"Hey. Need some help?" I've learned Jasper also enjoys cooking. Good thing because according to Edward, Alice is terrible at it.

"Um, not really. I'm not sure we have the ingredients to make much."

He crosses his arms and studies me. "Have you always enjoyed cooking?"

"Pretty much." I search for the words I'm willing to share. "My mom wasn't much of a cook and we couldn't afford takeout all the time and there's only so many sandwiches someone can handle. What about you? You seem to like cooking."

"My mom didn't have any daughters so she'd always have me and my brother in the kitchen with her. I guess it eventually rubbed off because I like it now."

I shouldn't be nosy, but I'm determined to find out if this man is really trustworthy. I don't want Edward and Alice around him if he's too much like his brother. He seems good, but most people also thought Peter was a good guy. "So it was just you and your brother? I guess you were close?"

He props himself against the counter across from me. "We were when we were younger. It was just the two of us. We were several years apart in age, but he never made me feel like a baby or that I annoyed him. Even as we grew older he'd include me when he was playing with his friends."

He stares at nothing as if he's a million miles away. "He started changing in high school. In college, he started rarely coming home and when he did, he was so distant. It broke my mother's heart more with every visit. My brother had changed. He wasn't the same guy. My family hoped he was getting back to normal when we found out he was joining the police academy. I guess I should've suspected something was still going on, but he'd grown so removed from the whole family."

He focuses back on me. "But I owe it to my parents and the boy he was when we were close to figure out what happened to his life for him to end up the way he did. I also owe it to you and Edward since he hurt you both."

"Well I hope you find your answers." He shouldn't feel like he owes Edward and me anything when we're keeping the fact that I'm the one who actually shot his brother from him. If I ever fully trust this man, I'll talk to Edward about telling him the truth. Until then, it's better to leave things as they are.

"So …" I change the subject for now. "I appreciate you not outing Edward and me to anyone. I would hate for James' conviction to be overturned just because we fell for each other. Plus, Edward is great at his job, so he wouldn't deserve anyone to think anything negative about him."

"You can't help who you fall in love with, Bella. I _never_ thought I'd meet the woman of my dreams when I started this investigation. I can't fault either of you for that. Plus, I know enough about James to know he needs to be off the streets and I'd never do anything to jeopardize keeping him there. And we will get him back where he belongs. I promise you that. Then you can get back to your life."

Before I can respond, footsteps come our way. Edward arrives in the kitchen all rumpled, looking better than a man should after sleeping all day. He comes over and hugs me to him, kissing my forehead. "What are you two up to?"

I reach up and brush some of his wayward hair back. "Nothing. I'm looking to see what we have that I can make for dinner, and I was also looking to see if we have anything I can bake with."

"Did you find anything?" He's scratches his chest and I'm so busy watching him, I almost miss what he's asking.

"Hm? Oh, uh, no, I didn't find anything. It seems we're running a little low on things."

"I noticed that. I'll make a supply run tomorrow," Jasper states.

"Okay, that would be good." My mind fills with ways Edward and I can use the alone time. We've only truly been alone the one day right after arriving, and since then we've all been so on edge and sleeping so little that we haven't had any real opportunities to physically do much. We have spent a lot of time talking. He now knows every detail of my past while I know all of his. It's been some hard conversations, but they've made us even stronger. But I can't lie that I don't miss the sexual aspect.

"Baby."

"Bella."

I realize both men are trying to get my attention while I've been lost in my fantasy. "Yeah? What?"

Edward smirks that smirk he seems to have only for me. He knows exactly where my mind is. "You all right there, baby. Something on your mind?"

"Nope. I'm good. Just thinking." I bury my small smile in my shoulder.

"Mm hm. Can I help you with anything? Maybe you need a hand with something?" He winks.

"Nah. If I need any _help, _I'm sure I can take care of things myself." I raise my brows at him.

"You know things go so much _smoother_ if I help you." He moves closer to me.

"All right now. That's enough. I'm standing right here, and as much as I like you two, I don't want to witness your foreplay. Save that shit until I'm not around." Jasper points at both of us. I laugh and Edward simply shrugs.

We talk a little longer before I start yawning.

"Tired, baby?" Edward asks, moving some hair that fell across my face.

"A little tired. I'm okay, though." I try to play it off.

He frowns. "Did you not sleep well today?"

"Just a stupid nightmare. Nothing to be concerned about." I suck in a quiet gasp after those last words slip out.

"A nightmare? Just one?"

"A few, but it's fine." I place my hand on his cheek.

At the worry etched on his face, I smile and try to change the subject. "So, Jasper, should I make a list of the things we need?"

Edward's raised eyebrow says we will be discussing my nightmares in more detail later, but for now he lets it go.

We all manage to work together to make dinner. After we eat, we're cleaning the kitchen when Edward offers to take the night shift again so Jasper can be alert to drive for supplies the next day.

They argue about it, but I know Edward well enough to know he'll get his way.

Jasper eventually relents and heads off to bed after I tell him I'll leave my list on the counter for him to grab in the morning.

I sit in the living room making my list while Edward checks the perimeter. When he gets back, he helps me finish the list. He takes it into the kitchen and comes back with some coffee for us both.

"So, tell me about these nightmares." He says it gently, but he's not asking.

"Really, Edward, they aren't a big deal."

"If they're causing you to lose sleep they are. Now tell me … please."

I sigh and place my mug down. "Okay. I've had a few different ones, but the one I'm having most often is James and Phil finding us. They come in and make me watch as they kill you. I'm helpless to do anything and can only watch as they hurt you over and over." My tears spill over as I relate the details.

He drops to his knees in front of me and pulls me to him. "Oh, baby. You should have told me." He cups my cheeks and kisses me. "You don't have to keep things like this to yourself anymore. I'm here to help you and take care of you."

I place my hands over his, still holding my face. "I know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But I didn't want to worry you. This has already been so stressful on us all. The last thing you need is to worry about some bad dreams I'm having."

"It's my job to worry about you no matter what it is. I love you." He gives me one last kiss before lifting me up and moving us to the couch. He sits down and pats his lap for me to lay my head on. I curl up and get comfy. Soon his hand starts running through my hair. Before I know it, my eyes grow heavy and I fall asleep, sleeping without any dreams for the first time in days.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The next morning I wake up in bed. Edward must have carried me in at some point during the night. I head out to the kitchen to see if he's eaten and find he's already had cereal.

"You should have woken me. I could've cooked you something."

He kisses me while passing me some coffee. "Nonsense. As much as I love your cooking, you needed the rest … especially for what I have planned for you today."

The list is missing from the counter. "I'm guessing Jasper's gone already."

"Yep. He left bright and early. We have the whole place to ourselves, and we're going to need it." He eyes me up and down in that way that makes me feel like he's penetrating every part of me.

My eyes widen. "Mm. I can't wait. I'm going to jump in the shower, and if you want you can meet me there. I can never reach my back properly." I wink at him and head off to the bathroom. His footsteps follow before I even reach the door.

After our shower we both feel much better, if not necessarily cleaner. "I miss our showers together."

He runs a towel over his hair. "Me too. As much as I appreciate Jasper helping out and even loaning us his parents' cabin, I miss being alone with you. Also, one bathroom definitely has its drawbacks."

"True. So true." My eyes follow him as he dresses. I just had him inside me, and I want him again. His rumbling stomach indicates we need to eat first. After I get dressed we head to the kitchen.

We're so caught up in each other we don't even notice him standing there until it's too late.

"So you're fucking the detective that put me away. You need some serious punishment, little girl."

We both turn to the voice and find James standing there holding a gun.

Fuck!

* * *

***peaks out between fingers* Soooo ... that just happened. If anyone needs Fyre or I, we'll be in Witness Seclusion.**

**See you all next time... **

**XOXO **


	17. The Culmination

**Thanks so much to kitchmill for all she's done for us and Mana Liz and Judyblue for all their fab comments.**

* * *

**EPOV**

Bella's body goes rigid in front of me, and I immediately jump into action, stepping in front to block James' view of her. Every muscle in my body is on alert. Our worst nightmare is standing in front of us with a gun in one hand and zip ties in the other.

His laugh is dark and evil. "Don't worry, Cullen, I'll take good care of her."

"Over my dead fucking body," I grit out.

"That can be arranged." He smirks. "But it'll be much more fun to make you suffer first." He takes a step closer. "Don't you want to hear her scream as I fuck the rebellion out of her?"

My fists clench. "You won't touch her. You'll have to kill me first."

He points the gun my way. "Shall I do that now? Right here with her to watch you bleed out?"

"No," Bella yells. "Kill me. It's me who sent you to prison." She steps out to the side, and I try to push her back.

"Stop it, Bella." I turn to face her. "He's not killing anyone. Please, don't antagonize him. I'd die if he hurt you." I plead with my eyes for her listen.

"Same here. I'd rather he kill us both right now than suffer his sick, twisted punishment." She means it, and I can't let her think like that. I have to convince her to hold on.

"Baby, you can't think like that. Remember, we're not alone." My eyes are boring into hers, willing her to remember that Jasper is out there somewhere.

"While this is all lovely," James says from behind me. "You don't have a hope in hell of being rescued."

I turn to face him. "Are you sure about that, James? Do you think we'd be so stupid as to isolate ourselves here all alone?"

He smirks. "No, you wouldn't, but do you think I'd be so stupid as to show up here without covering all my bases? Do you actually think that Whitlock number two is going to swoop in and save you? Did it ever occur to you how I found you?"

Is he insinuating that Jasper helped him? No way do I buy that. He wouldn't do it.

When I don't speak, he continues. "He's long gone by now. All it took was a little persuasion on my part and he happily gave you two up."

Bella gasps at this information. "That son of a bitch."

I instinctively turn to her so I don't see James as he rushes toward us. I turn back to him just in time for the butt of his gun to hit my temple.

Everything goes black.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

My head is throbbing and I can't bring my hand up to touch it. Everything feels weighed down. Slowly, I try to open my eyes, but the bright light causes me to wince.

What the fuck is the matter with me?

My hands are behind my back and my feet are stuck to the floor. Once again, I blink my eyes open and try to lift my head. The ache intensifies.

"Get away from me, you filthy motherfucker," Bella says from far away.

Then it hits me.

James.

I fight the pain and raise my head, opening my eyes fully to take in where I am and why she sounds so distant. I'm in the hall of the cabin, sitting in a chair with my hands connected at my back and my feet attached to the legs.

Our bedroom door is partially open and she's there, on the bed with her hands attached to the iron railing. I struggle, but it's no use. The plastic might as well be steel. My head throbs with every movement and I'm afraid for what he'll do to her.

He laughs, out of my sightline, but he's there with her. "This is going to be so much fun, whore. I'm going to break you down, make you beg me to put you out of your misery. And I still won't. Secluded away like this, I have all the time in the world."

"You're one sick bastard, and I'll never beg you for anything," she screams at him, and I need her to stop. She has to keep a cool head while I figure something out to get us out of this mess.

Jasper.

I wonder where he is and what's happened to him. I'll never buy that he was working with James, so that means he might've gotten to him before he showed up here. Is he dead? Is James just talking shit and hasn't seen him at all? I don't know, so that means it's all on me. I have to figure out a way to set us free.

James comes into view, stalking toward where she's laid out on the bed. The gun trails up her leg and she starts kicking wildly. He pounces and is on top of her in a heartbeat. Straddling her, weighing her down.

"Give it up, bitch. You can't fight me; I'm in control. You'll do what I want when I want it," he sneers.

She spits in his face, and he wastes no time in backhanding her. Her head whips to the side and her body starts twisting and turning beneath him. "Get off me, you sick fuck. You'll have to kill me first. Do you hear me! You'll have to kill me."

"Bellaaa," I scream.

"Ah, your boy toy's awake. Time to have some fun." He rises from the bed and starts my way.

"Stay away from him. It's me you want," she yells to his retreating back.

I sigh in relief. Anything to keep him away from her. I'll take it all. All the pain and punishment, blows and disgusting taunts. _Keep him focused on you, Cullen,_ I remind myself.

"Come back here, you filthy scum. Stay away from him." Bella continues yelling and thrashing around on the bed.

"Baby, please," I beg. "Please, I'm okay. I'm okay. Just calm down."

"Edward, I can't. I can't let him hurt you," she cries.

"I'm fine, baby, I'm—" The butt of the gun smashes across my jaw, causing blood to fly from my mouth.

I spit and smirk at him. "Is that the best you got? Huh? You hit like a pussy," I taunt.

He draws back and does it again. This time my head hangs for a second before I can pick it back up. The pain is excruciating, but it's worth it. Anything to keep his focus on me.

Edwarrrrd," Bella screams, and I look to her. Our eyes connect, and with mine, I beg her to stay quiet. To stop protesting so much, to stop bringing his attention back to her.

She shakes her head and tears gather. "I'd rather die than have him hurt you," she pleads with me to understand.

The gun clicks and pushes into my temple. "Maybe this will shut you up, whore." James cuts his sinister smile in her direction.

"Please, no. No! I'll do anything, stop it. You wanted me to beg, well I am. I'm begging you. Don't hurt him anymore. Please, stop it," she screams with tears running down her cheeks.

I'm hopeless as my Bella breaks. She crumbles right before my very eyes. All of the fight seeps out of her with the very thought he might kill me this instant. She'd rather suffer whatever he has planned for her than see him hurt or kill me, but she needs to know I'm as good as dead if anything happens to her anyway. I'd never survive that. My eyes plead with her to stay strong, to hold on, but she's too distraught to even pay attention.

He pulls the gun back, satisfied he has her where he wants her. "Good girl. Now keep your mouth shut and I might let him watch while I break you in."

Her tears become deep sobs as she realizes how trapped we are and how bad things seem right now. "Shhh, baby. It's going to be okay." I try to soothe her, but my words aren't convincing even myself.

James leans down, so close the stench from his breath burns my nostrils. "It is going to be okay, Cullen. In fact, it's going to be better than okay. It's going to be so good when I put my dick inside your whore. She'll kick and scream and fight and I'll just fuck her harder."

I want to vomit. His words bring about a rage I can barely contain while also making me sick to my stomach, knowing at this moment, I couldn't stop him if I tried.

He walks back up the hall a little ways and starts to pace back and forth. "Your whore reminds me so much of Bree. Stupid little Bree," he spits out. "She thought she could escape me and be with another, but I'm too smart to allow that. She paid for her sins, and so will Bella."

As he's telling me this, a head comes into view, peeping around the corner from the living room. Jasper. He's ghostly white and blood is running down his temple, but he's alive and here. I sigh in relief and make an attempt to keep James talking.

"So you did kill her then?" I ask, hoping he'll spill since he doesn't intend for me to live.

He cackles with laughter. Evil laughter. "That's where you're wrong, Cullen. I'm too smart for that. She thought she could get away from me, so I made her rescuer into her murderer."

He's talking in riddles, and he's seriously losing his mind. "So you admit she was murdered?"

"Of course she was." He scoffs. "But not by me. No way. Stupid fuck that he was bought everything I fed him. Hook, line and sinker. Wasn't that hard to convince him she'd been molested her whole life. She was shy of men and a scared little thing." He looks off into nothing as if he's picturing whatever he's trying to tell me, but I still don't understand where he's going with this.

"Who, James? Who was the stupid fuck?" I ask. I need to keep him talking. If Jasper's going to have a chance, James needs to be distracted.

He looks to me and smirks. "Peter."

"Peter?" I parrot. "What does Peter have to do with Bree?"

"Everything," he answers. "He thought he could come along and sweep my possession off her feet. Who did he think he was? I played the part, though. I let him think I was all for it, and when he questioned me about her skittishness, I convinced him that our father had been molesting her." He laughs. "You should've seen him. He was livid. Ready to charge over there and kill him right then."

"What was the point of that, though? He didn't kill your father, so what does that have to do with anything?"

Jasper watches and waits for a chance to intervene, and in the meantime he learns things we've been trying to uncover. I hope he'll be able to handle the truth, for all our sakes.

James walks back in my direction and kneels down in front of me. The evil glint is still in his eyes as he begins explaining exactly what he means. "I warned Bree, but she wouldn't listen. She just kept getting closer and closer to him. She was mine, all mine, and he was never going to have her." He leans closer as if he's telling a secret, and Jasper stretches his head out so he can hear. "So I convinced him that our father had been molesting her since she was a girl and the only way to stop him was to kill him. But if he went and just murdered him outright, he'd go to prison and never get to be with Bree."

I swallow and push him further. "So what did he do?"

He stands and scoffs. "We went to the house late at night and he cut the brake line to my father's car. I let him know the old man used it every morning to go to work."

"But your father didn't die. It was Bree," I state, hoping he'll elaborate.

He doesn't disappoint. "Of course he didn't, which was the plan all along."

"So you meant for Bree to die?" I ask. This is getting crazier by the second.

"Now you're getting it, Cullen. The bitch thought she could just be done with me and move on to someone else?" He scoffs. "Hell no. After Peter left us that night, I borrowed a friend's car and convinced her to go with me to pick up Dad's. I went in and got the keys then gave them to her and told her to go ahead, that I'd be right behind her. Only I never left the house. I was still there when the police knocked on our door to tell us she had been killed."

Again I want to vomit, but for completely different reasons. This sick fuck molested his sister and thought he owned her to the point he'd rather she be dead than have a life with someone else. It's incomprehensible someone could be so fucked up.

I swallow the urge and press him further. "I take it Peter was beside himself?"

"You could say that. The pussy was pathetic. He'd killed her and he knew it. He was even ready to turn himself in, but I convinced him she wouldn't want that. Of course, he never knew that I set the whole thing up. He was too distraught to even question why I let her leave in that car," he explains with a twisted smile on his face.

"So that's where the blackmail came in, huh?" I ask.

"Ah, so you know about the blackmail. Fucking Aro, I told him that little shit of a brother couldn't be trusted. Maybe next time he'll listen to me," he sneers.

"Might as well tell me the rest," I urge, hoping to get the full story.

He leans against the wall. "It was pretty simple after that. I convinced Peter he could do the most good by joining the police force. It didn't take much prodding before he joined the academy. My plan flowing along just perfectly. After he got his job in the Forks department, I let him get the feel for it, find a passion if you will. It brought him out of his depression over my sister's death to realize he could help people."

"So then how did he end up so fucked up?" I ask, because by the end Peter was so far down the rabbit hole he probably couldn't be saved.

"And that's where the blackmail comes in. By this time he was happy again, doing something he loved. But I couldn't have that now, could I?" he asks, and the question's rhetorical. He doesn't want me to answer. "It was time to show him who he was really dealing with. I threatened to turn him in for Bree's murder if he didn't do my bidding. He refused at first, but like all others, he caved. I started giving him coke to help him deal with the small things he was doing for me, but as the years wore on, his deeds worsened and so did his habit." He smiles like the psycho he is over this new piece of information.

"So you had Peter kill the girl he loved and then blackmailed him into doing your bidding, all the while feeding him coke to keep him numb to the vile acts you were forcing him to do? You're one sick, twisted motherfucker, and if I ever get free of this chair you won't live to take another breath," I say with a steely voice.

He laughs and it's almost maniacal. He cackles like a loon and slaps his knee with his hand. "That's so fucking funny, Cullen," he spits out between gasps of breath, then he sobers completely and looks at me hard. "I don't have to worry about you getting from that chair. I'm done with this whole situation. You come along like Peter and try to take what's mine again, convince her to turn on me and get her to go with you. Well now I'm going to kill you just like you killed Peter and then fuck and kill the whore because no one leaves me or takes what's mine."

He raises the gun in the air and everything happens at once. Bella, who's been completely quiet, starts screaming. "He didn't kill Peter, I did. It was me, asshole!"

James freezes, and a salacious smirk lifts the corners of his lips. "That makes my dick hard just hearing it." He turns and starts for Bella.

I look to Jasper, who's frozen in his spot. My eyes beg him to do something, anything to stop this monster from getting to my girl. Finally, he snaps out of his stupor and charges, taking James down to the floor.

Amid the struggle, Bella yells, "Edward, what's going on? What's happening?"

"It's okay, baby. I'm okay. Jasper's here," I yell, trying to calm her down.

"And I'm supposed to trust a Whitlock?" She raises up and looks at me like I'm crazy.

I nod to her and look back at the struggle in front of me. There's blood dripping down Jasper's side and on his face. I can only assume that James ambushed him earlier. He's deathly pale, but fighting with everything in him to get the gun from James. They roll around, exchanging blows and grunts, and I tense in my seat waiting on pins and needles to see who's left standing.

The gun goes off and they both still. Bella screams, and my eyes jump to her to make sure she's okay. "Bella, are you okay, baby?" I rush out.

"I'm fine. Who's shot?" she asks.

I shake my head. "I don't know."

Both men groan and James rolls to the side, gun still in hand. Jasper raises up and grabs his leg that is pouring blood. "Jasper." I struggle with my restraints. "Are you okay, man?"

He looks to me, his face paler than before. He's losing too much blood. James is still stunned from the fight, but slowly seems to be coming out of it. His eyes focus and he looks around, taking in his position and ours, too.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Whitlock number two, come to the rescue," he sneers. "Didn't go so well, huh?" He digs the barrel of the gun in Jasper's wound and watches his face twist in pain.

He stands and points the gun at him. "Get up!" he demands.

Jasper struggles to stand and falls back onto his knees.

The gun nudges into his forehead. "I said, get the fuck up!"

Jasper tries again and stands, supporting himself with one leg, while blood soaks both his shirt and now his jeans. "You sick fuck. You'll get what's coming to you," Jasper says when he's completely standing.

James knocks him in the jaw with the butt of the gun, buckling his knees once more. "You're going to end up just like your brother, only I'm going to be the one pulling the trigger." Then his face takes on a sinister quality. "Or maybe I'll force Bella to do it since she did so well with your brother."

Jasper climbs back to his feet and James sticks the barrel of the gun into his ribcage. "Move," he orders.

They leave the hall, and with James gone, I focus all my attention on Bella. "Baby, please, stop antagonizing him," I beg.

Tears start flowing down her cheeks and she shakes her head. "I can't, Edward. I can't just give in and let him kill you."

My own tears flow and I can't believe we're in this spot. I've let her down, and now we both might die at the hands of James Hunter. I swore I'd keep her safe, and now all I have is us trapped in the middle of nowhere with a twisted psychopath.

Jasper hobbles back into the hallway carrying a chair and more zip ties. The look he gives me is a confident one, and I have to wonder what he has up his sleeve. He's in no condition to fight James again; it'll only end in his death. I take a deep breath and try to draw from his confidence that he has some way to fix this mess.

"Looks like your plan to make us think Jasper was with you failed." I smirk, trying to keep him preoccupied. "How did you find us?"

He rolls his eyes. "You don't think Peter brought me here in the years that I've known him? As soon as I found out IA agent Whitlock was involved and in seclusion with you two, checking here was obvious. You should really think things through better in the future." Then he fake gasps. "Oh, my bad. You don't have a future." His insane laughter fills the hallway once again.

When he catches his breath, he focuses back on Jasper and pushes him past me to sit his chair at my back. "Sit the fuck down." He points the gun to the chair and Jasper complies.

James zips his hands together and then each foot to a leg of the chair. "Now, you can both watch as I fuck this whore." He leans down in Jasper's face. "You'll probably enjoy it now that you know she murdered your brother."

Jasper starts fighting. "Fuck you. You murdered my brother years ago, asshole."

James smirks and starts toward Bella again. "Stay away from her, Hunter," I scream at his retreating back.

He stops and turns to me. "This is going to be fun. She may look like my sister, but she's got more spunk than Bree ever had." Then he continues in where Bella immediately starts fighting.

I watch as she twists and turns and kicks and screams.

Helpless.

She spits and curses as he tries to lift her shirt.

When he leans close enough, she latches on with her teeth. He screams and pulls, but she refuses to let go. When he finally gets free, there's a chunk of flesh hanging from his cheek.

He draws back and punches her hard several times, and all I can do is scream and thrash in my seat. "You bitch," he says over and over as he pummels her.

When he stops, she's lying prone beneath him and I'm in a rage. My vision is red and I can't hear anything but the blood rushing in my ears until an awful noise invades my mind. It takes me a minute to realize the noise is me.

I screaming in pain for what he's done to her.

He crawls up from her, and I can only sigh in relief, but is she okay? My mind is spinning and my world is going black.

He walks back into the hall holding his cheek and approaches me. "Fucking whore isn't worth it. None of you are. Time to die."

He raises the gun once more, and this time, I brace myself for the inevitable bang. I lower my head to look at my lap and wait. Only it doesn't come. Another thump has me snapping my head up to see what it is.

Emmett.

My whole body sags in relief. Emmett's here and he's beating the fucking hell out of James. Charlie comes into view then, knife in hand to cut the ties. As soon as I'm free, I jump up and run to Bella.

She still breathing but her eyes are closed and her face is swollen. "Charlie, come cut her ties," I yell.

He rushes in and cuts her ties, already talking on his radio ordering an ambulance. I take her head and hold it in my lap, stroking her hair and whispering words to let her know I'm here.

Emmett comes to the doorway with James cuffed. "What do you want me to do with him, Chief?"

Charlie looks at Bella and then Jasper, leaning against the wall in the hall. "Uncuff him."

Emmett's eyes widen. "Sir?"

James smirks.

Charlie looks to me. "We've tried jail and look what happened. I've never had the chance to save my daughter when she's needed me, but this time I can. There's no way he's walking out of here alive."

I nod.

He looks to Emmett and Jasper.

They both nod.

Charlie gets up and pushes James back through the door and into the hall. He stands out my view but leaves James where I can see him from my spot on the bed.

"Uncuff him and step away, Emmett," Charlie orders.

James starts to struggle. "No way! You're cops; there's no way you'll do this."

Emmett leans in to whisper in James' ear, his whole face draining of color. He places James' gun in his hand and steps back with the cuffs dangling from his fingers.

James stands stunned for a moment before lifting the gun and aiming it down the hall.

A loud bang echoes through the house, and James slumps to the floor with a bullet hole between his eyes as sirens sound in the distance.

* * *

**Well now … **

**See you next time!**

,


	18. Aftermath

**As always, thanks to the wonderful ladies who help us out with each chapter… Judy, Mana and our lovely beta kitchmill.**

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**BPOV**

Son of a bitch! What the hell is that beeping noise and why does my head feel like I fell off a tall building and landed head first? I force my eyes open. My eyes land on the rails of the bed and I can feel the scratchy hospital blanket against my legs. The light's so bright I have trouble keeping my eyes from immediately closing again.

"Baby? Bella? Come on. Show me those gorgeous eyes again."

I'd know that voice anywhere.

"Edward? So fucking bright." My voice is rough and gravely.

"Oh, shit. Sorry, baby. Rose, turn the lights down, please. Okay, the lights have been turned down. Try to open those eyes for me again."

Forcing my eyes open, I'm rewarded with the sight of Edward … except his face is all bruised and swollen. That's when things come back to me.

"Where is that fucker? I'm going to kill him. What the hell happened? Are you okay? Of course you're not okay." That damn beeping gets louder and faster. My head starts to spin and I need to vomit.

Edward places his hands on my face. "Bella! Bella. Calm down." He leans in to kiss me, and I wince. I imagine my face doesn't look much different from his since it hurts like a motherfucker.

I shut out everything else, everyone else in the room, the noises, the pain, and focus on Edward. "Tell me what happened. Please."

"I'll tell you everything … after the doctor checks you out. He should be here soon."

He gives me the look, the one I'm sure causes many a criminal to spill their secrets. There will be no arguing this. I sigh and flop back onto the bed. "Fine."

Glancing around, I find Rose, Emmett and Alice. Rose comes over. "Dammit, Bella, I was so scared. You aged me five years. I probably have gray hair now." She's all sass and fire, but there's fear and pain in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I couldn't let him keep hurting Edward if I could stop it, but I'm so sorry you had to go through this."

She closes her eyes and tears run down her face. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm just glad Charlie and Emmett got there when they did."

Before I can say anything else or ask any questions, Edward steps back into view. "Don't even think about it, baby. No more talk of what happened or asking any questions until the doctor gives you the all-clear."

His words seem to summon the doctor because suddenly he's here. He's an older man, and even though I hate hospitals and am not the biggest fan of doctors, he's all right. He smiles the entire time and asks me ten thousand questions while the nurse that came in with him checks my vitals—whatever the hell those are—and finally finishes. "We'll need to keep you here overnight Ms. Higginbotham. If everything still looks good tomorrow, I'll let you go."

Once he leaves, everyone comes back in. Rose tries to get me to rest and goes about trying to fluff up my pillows, and Alice brings me water. It's all very sweet, but I need to know what the hell happened … _now_. Finally, after my fifth time glaring holes at Edward, he turns to them and speaks. "Can you give us a little time? I need to talk to Bella. I'll come get you as soon as we're finished."

Once they're out of the room, his face changes and he breaks in front of me. He comes back over and takes my face so gently I barely feel it. "I was so worried when I saw him hitting you. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to protect you. I'll never forgive myself for it."

It's my turn to break down. "I was so scared. I've been in a lot of bad situations in my life, but I've never been so afraid. What happened after I was out? Did he …" I hate that I have to ask, but I need to know. I close my eyes and just spit it out. "Did he rape me?"

My eyes slowly open to meet his. He looks so haunted, but there's relief before he even speaks. "No. Thank God he didn't touch you that way. He came after me once you were knocked out and was ready to shoot me when Emmett and Charlie came in. They saved us."

"How did they know? I need more details." I'm trying to get through this all and stay strong. I just need to know everything before I can relax.

"They showed up just in time, though not soon enough." He carefully caresses my face, especially the bruises and cuts.

"Did they take him back to jail? He didn't get away, did he?"

He removes his hands from my face and takes my own hands into his. "He didn't get away, and he's not in jail."

"What happened then? Is he still a threat?"

He leans even closer so his forehead nearly touches mine. "All you need to know is that James will _never_ be a threat to you again. You will never have to fear him."

My eyes narrow as I look at his face. He isn't telling me something. "So he's dead?"

"He is." Just those two simple words uttered by him turn my life right-side up. Suddenly a huge weight I didn't even know was there has been lifted. All this time I've been so worried James would always be a part of my life in some way. Now he's really gone. The relief is immense.

"How? Who? Please tell me exactly what happened."

He pulls back a bit to look me straight in the eye. "All you need to know is that he's gone. Charlie made sure you'd never have to worry about him again." He's conveying more than his words.

I ponder what he said, the look in his eyes, and I know James likely didn't die in the most honest of circumstances, but I can't find it in myself to care.

I ask the only thing that matters to me right now. "Did he suffer?"

He shakes his head at the same time he answers. "No. It was fast."

"Dammit! He deserved to suffer for what he did, for all the people he's hurt. But as much as I wanted him to hurt, I'm mostly just glad he's gone. I don't need more details about how it all went down. I'm just grateful you're okay and that he's dead."

He smirks at me. Even though I fucking hate that he's hurt, I must admit, at least to myself, that I find his roughed-up face coupled with his cocky smirk sexy as hell.

"You want me to go let the others in now?"

It's a sweet thought, but all I really want to do is lock the door and play doctor with him. He can check all the vitals the real doctor didn't.

But at the mention of everyone else, a thought pops into my head and I'm a little ashamed it's taken this long. "What about Jasper? Is he okay?"

"I'm not sure. He's in surgery now. He's in pretty bad shape, but they believe he should pull through."

All my memories come back from the cabin in full Technicolor. "I need to talk to him when he's able. I need to tell him how sorry I am for shooting his brother. I know he must have heard what I said to James. I didn't mean to blurt it out, though. I was just so desperate to get his attention."

He kisses my hands. "Baby, don't worry about that right now. He may not even remember what was said after all the trauma he's suffered. And even if he does, I'm sure he won't be angry at you. At worst he'll turn me in for lying in the report, and I'll deal with that."

Fearing I've just cost Edward his job, I start to sob. "I'm so sorry. I'll beg him not to report you. I'll take all the blame. I know how much you love your job, and you only lied about that to protect me."

Armed with a tissue from the table beside the bed, he carefully wipes my tears. "You need to stop even thinking about that right now. It will all be all right. And honestly, if I do lose my job, as long as I have you I'll be just fine. Now enough of all this. No more stress or worrying for you tonight. Do you want me to let everyone else in or ask them to just see you tomorrow?"

Using my fingers to wipe away the last of the tears, I answer. "Let them in, please. I've missed them all."

The rest of the evening is spent with Rose fussing over me in a way my own mother never did, Emmett trying to keep the mood light and telling me how much he misses my cooking and Alice talking about how ugly the hospital décor is and how she would have to design me a better hospital gown if I stay any longer.

Even though everyone is upbeat, this has worn on them, especially Alice. She comes over, brush in hand, offering to help me with my hair since it's certainly a mess.

Edward, Rose and Em run down to cafeteria to grab something to eat and promise Alice they'll check on how Jasper's surgery is coming along.

Once they're out the door, I reach up and grab the hand that's pulling the brush through my hair.

"How are you doing?"

Even though it hurts to turn my head, I still do it so I can see her face. "Bella. You don't need to even be thinking of me. How are you?"

Patting the bed further down, I motion for her to sit so I'll be able to see her face better. "You're my friend. You know I'm physically okay, so no need to worry about me. But I know you have to be scared and worried about Jasper. I also know it must have been hard for you to have all of us in hiding."

Tears finally fall from her big, green eyes. "I'm was terrified. I'm still terrified. What if they're wrong and Jasper isn't okay? What if he doesn't pull through? I know why you all had to go, but it's been so damn hard not knowing where you were or when I'd see any of you again."

Grabbing her hand, I can't help but feel guilty since in some ways I'm responsible for James being in their lives, even though he was already a part of Jasper's past long before I came along. "Alice, I don't blame you at all for being worried or scared, but trust me … there is no way that man won't pull through. He adores you. He'll make it for no other reason than so he can marry you one day. Plus, the man is so tough. If anyone can come out of this, it's him."

She sobs and throws herself on me in a hug. Just a few months ago this would have been awkward as fuck, but my life has changed and so have I. Now I simply hug her back.

By the time everyone comes back, Alice is composed again. Edward informs her that Jasper's surgery should be ending soon. I encourage all of them to go with her and wait to see what the surgeon says since I'm tired and could use the rest anyway. They all seem reluctant, but after a few yawns and some pushing by me, they relent.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

I've just started to doze off when there's a quiet knock on the door. I call out for whoever it is to come in. Not expecting anyone other than those who have already been here, I'm surprised to find Charlie. He's holding some flowers.

Clearing his throat, he starts talking. "These are for you. I didn't know what kind of flowers you like, but the lady assured me everyone loves these."

He places them on the table next to me. I know shit-all about flowers, but these are definitely pretty and they smell really good even sitting a foot or so away from me. "Thanks. I don't think I've ever had anyone bring me flowers before."

"Listen …"

"I'm sorry …"

We both start speaking at the same time, cancelling each other out. Before he can start speaking again, I lift my hand. "Can I go first, please?"

He rubs his hand over his mustache, looking conflicted, but agrees.

"Edward told me that you and Emmett saved us. I just want to say thank you. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I know you came and it's because of you that we're alive." I drop my voice to a near whisper before continuing. "I also know it's because of you that I'll never have to worry about James again."

His eyes get glassy. "Bella, you never have to thank me for saving you. If I had known about you, I would've been protecting you all your life. As for making sure James can't hurt you again, well—"

"I don't know the details. I don't _need_ to know the details. I just know you made sure I was safe, and that's all that matters to me."

He dips his head, and when he raises it back up, there's a look on his face I've never seen before. Haunted is probably the best way to describe it. Coming closer, he tentatively takes my hand.

Once he's sure I'm not going to yank it away, he sits on the bed next to me. "I know we got off on the wrong foot and I don't expect that you will ever see me as your father, but I need you to know that I love you and I will always do whatever I can, whatever I have to do, to make sure you're safe and happy. I would give anything to be able to go back and know you from when you were born, but that option was taken from us both. I can't change it as much as I wish I could. But from now on, even if you decide you don't want me in your life, I'll still be here for you."

Having no idea what to say or think or even do, I go with the only thing that comes to mind.

Squeezing his hand, I tell him the truth. "I can't promise to ever think of you as my dad and I don't know exactly what we can be to each other, but I would like for you to be in my life."

"I would really like that. Thank you." Letting go of my hand, he stands. "Is Edward around? I figured he'd be here."

"He went with Alice, Rose and Emmett to wait for Jasper to get out of surgery."

His exhaustion shows as he scrubs his hands over his face. "I must have missed them. I was there waiting for a while, making calls to his parents and commander. I was hoping to make it back before he came out or anyone else arrived, but I couldn't wait any longer to come check on you."

"Oh, I didn't even think about his parents. I'm sure that wasn't a fun call to make. I'm sure they're worried sick."

Especially considering they've already lost one son. That also reminds me …

"I need to tell you, I'm so sorry, but I told James I shot Peter and Jasper heard me. I didn't mean to or plan it. I just wanted to get his attention off Edward."

"It's okay. Edward already told me. We'll all deal with it together if Jasper remembers and wants to tell anyone. Don't even worry about that right now. But I do need to tell you that you're going to be questioned about what happened at the cabin."

Shit. I should have known. "When? By who?"

"It will be someone from the local department here since it happened on their turf. I'm making sure it will be after you've been released from the hospital, but it has to be done before you leave Seattle. You can have a lawyer or anyone you want present. You're the victim, so don't be nervous. Just tell the truth. Tell them what you remember and be honest, for the most part."

I blow out a breath. I can handle whatever happens at this point. "Okay. I can do that. Is _anyone_ going to be in any trouble for _anything_?" My eyes bore into him so he'll know exactly what I mean.

For the first time since he came into the room, he smiles. "No. Everything is on the up and up as far as anyone is concerned. Anyway, James was a suspect in several cases here in Seattle before going to Forks. No one will miss that piece of shit."

We talk for just a few more minutes before he leaves to check on Jasper. I'm so exhausted by everything that's happened, I'm asleep before the door closes behind him.

Soft kisses being placed all over my hands and arms slowly wake me up. My eyes open up to bright green, my favorite green. "Hey, baby. How's Jasper?"

"He's good. He's going to make a full recovery. According to the surgeon, he'll be out of it for a day or two, though. His parents and Alice are with him and will take turns staying."

I snuggle up to his arm since it's the only body part close to me. "Good. I'm glad."

"Now rest. It's been a long day and you need to get some more sleep. I'll be right here."

"Okay. Love you." And just like before, I'm asleep almost immediately.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The next two days pass in a blur. I'm released from the hospital with some pain meds and directions to take it easy. We also go to the local precinct so I can give my statement. Edward already gave his the same day everything went down.

I tell them everything I can remember up until James knocked me out. Well, everything except the little reveal I made telling James I was the one who shot Peter.

The detectives are nice enough, but they have nothing on my detective. They tell me they'll likely close the case as soon as they speak to Jasper. I'm relieved and nervous at the same time.

Charlie had to go back to Forks the day Jasper came out of surgery, but everyone else has stayed here in Seattle. I've met Jasper's parents, and they seem like really nice people. They definitely adore Alice. Even Carlisle and Esme have been here a couple of times. It's really awesome to see everyone come together due to their love … Jasper's parents in their love for him, the Cullens in their love for Alice, Rose and Emmett in their love for all of us. It briefly makes me miss what I never had growing up, but also makes me all the more grateful I have it now.

Today we're going to talk to Jasper. We've visited him, but I've made sure I've only gone in when he's resting. I didn't want to actually speak to him until we could have some privacy.

In the elevator headed up to his floor, Edward asks, "Are you sure you want to do this, baby? You don't have to."

I'm nervous about this. How Jasper reacts to me can definitely affect a lot. If he doesn't understand it can mean no more double dates and possibly even less time with Alice. It can also mean punishment for Edward, Charlie and me. So a lot is riding in how things play out.

I take Edward's hand. I'm so in love with this man who always wants the best for me. "No, I need to do this."

We enter Jasper's room, and only Alice is there. We tell her we'll keep him company while she goes back to the hotel to shower and take a little break. Once she's gone, Edward closes the door.

Edward drags another chair over close to the bed. "How soon until they let you out?"

"I'm not sure. If everything stays good, hopefully sometime late this week or early next."

We need to deal with the elephant in the room, so I speak. "I'm really glad you're okay, Jasper. I'm sorry that you got hurt helping me. I really hate to have to deal with this while you're in that bed, but it needs to be done. I know you heard what I said to James … about your brother."

Edward cuts in. "Do you remember everything?"

Jasper's face has been blank up until this point. Now he raises a brow and has a slight frown. "I remember _everything_. Bella, I need to ask you something, and please, be completely honest."

I'm worried about what he's going to ask, but I still owe him answers. "Okay."

"Did everything else that happened the day Peter died happen the way you said? Did he really come in and attempt to rape you, hurt you and Edward?"

Looking him in the eye, I give him the truth. "Yes. The only difference is that he was fighting with Edward, Edward got injured, Peter was going to kill him so I grabbed the gun that was near the bed and shot. I did it to save Edward and I would do it again. I'm so sorry he was your brother, but that day he truly meant to kill us."

He looks to Edward now. "Why did you lie?"

Running his hands through his hair, Edward stands before starting. "Charlie and I wanted to protect Bella and the case. We knew everyone would come at her that much harder if she was revealed as the shooter. We knew it wouldn't look good for the case, that the defense would try even more to twist things to make everything Bella's fault."

Jasper is silent for a while, contemplating what we told him. Finally, he looks at us. "I've gotten to know you both. I trust that you're good people. I know that at the time of his death, my brother wasn't a good man. I understand why you did what you did and why you kept it a secret. I would really like it if we could just put it all behind us now and move on."

I need to know for sure. "Will you tell anyone the truth?"

He smiles at me. "No. I don't see any need. No matter who pulled the trigger, it was still in self-defense."

Before I even know what I'm doing, I give him a hug.

"Oof!"

"Baby, you're hurting him." Edward pulls me back.

Jasper clutches his injury, but smiles.

"Oops. Sorry."

After that we fall into easy conversation until a knock on the door interrupts us. A woman in her early forties comes in. Her strawberry blonde hair is cut a bit severe which matches her business suit and stiff posture.

"Jasper, I just wanted—" She spots Edward and immediately relaxes her rigid stance while batting her blue eyes. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you had visitors." She comes over to us. "It's been a while, Detective."

I do _not _like the way this bitch is looking at my man and I damn sure am not okay with the suggestive tone she uses when calling him detective

Thrusting my hand out, I block her from Edward. "Hi, I'm Bella, _Edward's_ fiancée."

She steps back and irritation flares in her eyes. She shakes my hand as though it's the last thing she wants to do. "I'm Commander Denali."

"Hello, Tanya. It has been a while." He fucking smiles at her.

"I thought it was Commander Denali." I arch my brow in question at Edward.

She smirks. "Well, Edward and I were a bit more than co-workers, weren't we?"

He rubs the back of his neck under my glare. "Oh you were, huh?"

"We dated a few times," he answers.

"Well it's nice to meet you, ma'am." I turn to Edward. "I didn't know you ever had a thing for cougars, baby."

His eyes go wide, and _Tanya's_ face has turned a very bright shade of red. "He's not that much younger than me. There's more of an age difference between you two, I'm sure."

Edward pulls me closer to him, silently asking me to let it go. He should know me better than that.

Placing my hand, the one with my ring, on his chest, I start. "True. But you wouldn't know it from our sex life. He can have me begging him to stop. What a lucky girl I am to have met the man of my dreams so early instead of growing old alone. And to make it even better, he constantly tells me he's been waiting for me his whole life. That's why no other woman ever mattered to him."

Her face turns a nice shade of purple that looks terrible with her hair color. Before anything else can be said, Edward's pulling me out the door. "Jasper, I'm glad you're doing better. Commander, it was nice to see you again."

Once the door closes behind us in the elevator, I finally glance at his face. Thinking he might be mad, I'm surprised when I find lust.

"I wish I could kiss you like I want without hurting you. That was so hot. You being all possessive and jealous was a huge turn on. If we weren't in a hospital, I'd have you bent over on the nearest surface."

"So you're not mad?"

"Fuck no. I don't think it was right for you to be so rude to someone for no reason, but I like you jealous."

"No reason? She was hot for you. She was asking for it with her 'Edward and I were a bit more than co-workers' shit."

"You're crazy, but I love it. Seriously though, we met in Seattle through work. She asked me out and we went on a few dates. I was too focused on my career, though, and wasn't comfortable getting too involved with someone I worked with."

"Sorry. I get a little crazy when it feels like another woman is encroaching."

He smirks. "Oh, baby, you know you're the only woman for me now."

The bell dings, signaling our floor. As the door opens, I make a promise. "As soon as we get back to the hotel, you're going to prove it and fuck me on every surface."

I leave him and the man waiting for the elevator standing with open mouths.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The next day, Edward and Emmett go visit with Jasper. Neither of us wanting to be alone, Rose comes over to our hotel room to keep me company. It's been a while since we've spent much time together, so I'm happy when she gets here.

She starts in on me right away. "How are you feeling? Still in a lot of pain? Are you ready to go home soon?"

Giggling, I hug her. "I missed you."

She rolls her eyes. "You just saw me yesterday."

Now it's my turn for the eye-roll. "I know, but I missed spending time with you just the two of us. Now to answer your questions, I'm good, my face doesn't hurt nearly as much and we want to be here until Jasper is released. Plus, Edward wants to be here until we get the all clear from the detectives and they're ready to close the case. They told him it shouldn't take long."

"'I think Em and I will head back tomorrow. He needs to get back to work, and I don't like being away from the shelter too long. I also need to be sure your room is all ready for you again."

Shit. I was hoping to put this off a little longer, but no time like the present I guess. "About that … I'm moving in with Edward. I've loved living with you and Em, but after what happened, I just don't want to be away from him anymore. Now I just need to tell him …" I tack on since I haven't actually discussed it with him.

She arches a perfectly shaped brow then starts giggling. "Only you would make that decision without even discussing it with him."

"What? He'll be thrilled." I start laughing too. "He's lived with me enough to know I'm useless in the mornings and that my hair has a mind of its own after sleeping."

"Does he know about your atrocious morning breath?"

My mouth drops open. "You bitch! My breath smells like fucking flowers." We both fall over on the bed laughing.

Once we've sobered up, Rose puts on her serious face. "Edward is going to be so happy. He loves you, and of course he'll want you with him without waiting for your wedding. After everything you two have been through, I'm not surprised you don't want to be away from him. Em and I will miss you, but I'm sure we'll visit each other all the time. After all, I still need cooking lessons. Plus we have the shelter … are you planning to come back to the shelter?"

"I am if you still want me."

"You know we do. Are you still going to sign up for some online classes too?"

This question causes me to hesitate. I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last few days and made a decision, one not everyone will be pleased about. Knowing Rose has my back no matter what, she might be the best person to run this by first.

"Um, I'm not sure. I'll have to look into things and see exactly what I need for what I want to do."

She perks up. "You know what you want to go to school for?"

"I do. See, when I was in the cabin with James, I was so helpless. I couldn't do anything to help anyone. Not really. And when I was younger, I was hurt and abused and couldn't stop it. I _never _want to be helpless like that again. I also want to help those that still are. So … I've decided …" Taking a breath, I just put it out there. "… to become a police officer."

Not having heard him come in, I'm shocked when Edward yells, "Like hell you will!"

Fuck!

* * *

**AN: Okay… so now we know everyone is okay. *phew* Fyre and I can officially come out of seclusion, right? **

**We'd love to hear your thoughts… **

**Until next time! **

**XOXO**


	19. Impasse

**Thanks so much to the lovely kitchmill for being there as our beta since the beginning. Also, thanks to Judyblue and Mana who pre-read for us.**

* * *

**EPOV**

Emmett and I are leaving for the hospital to sit with Jasper and give Alice a break. She's been staying there constantly and it's starting to wear on her. At least this way she can grab a decent bite to eat.

Bella and Rosalie are hanging back at the hotel this time, and that's a good thing, Bella needs some time with Rose. The ordeal she just went through is almost too much for me to think about. I get angry at a dead man all over again. I'm hoping she can talk to Rose on any residual feelings she needs to work out that she may not have shared with me.

I chuckle and glance to Emmett as soon as I've pulled out into the street. "All right, man, spill."

He turns in my direction while I keep glancing back and forth between him and the road. "Spill what?" he asks, looking confused.

This time when I glance back his way, my eyes are wide and incredulous. "What do you mean, what? You've got to tell me what in the hell you whispered in James' ear back at the cabin."

"Ah," he says, understanding dawning on his features.

"Yeah, ah. Come on, man. I've been imagining all the possible scenarios for days," I urge him to just tell me.

With a deep laugh, he finally spills. "I simply told him that messing with Charlie Swan's daughter once was bad enough, but he did it twice, so he won't live to make a third attempt."

I let those words sink in. "He didn't know Bella was Charlie's daughter," I state as fact.

Emmett shakes his head. "Not until that very minute, no."

I blow out a breath. "No wonder his face went white."

"Yeah, I needed him to know that he wouldn't live through this," Emmett says with a malicious glint.

I nod as I turn into the hospital parking area. "And it doesn't bother you? The way we handled him?"

Emmett's head snaps in my direction. "Fuck no, man. That piece of shit has hurt Bella more than I ever want to think about, and on top of that, look at the condition we found you and Jasper in. My Rosie would've had my hide if we'd brought him back alive to take another shot at Bella."

I sigh deeply, so happy Em confirmed he's okay with what we did. I have my reasons, Jasper had his reasons and Charlie too, but I was concerned about Emmett's thoughts on the situation. We had no time to think, only react, and I was afraid we dragged Em into something he wanted no part of.

"Thanks, man. It's a relief to hear you agree," I say earnestly while parking and shutting off the ignition.

"I more than agree, Edward. I'd have pulled the trigger myself if it was needed." When I meet his eyes, there's nothing there but conviction. Emmett did what he thought was right.

With a small nod, we exit the car, that situation cleared up and both feeling sure in the choices we made.

When the elevator opens on Jasper's floor, I'm surprised when Alice and Commander Denali are standing there. Alice rushes forward, and I enclose her in my arms. My baby sister took the brunt of it when it came to our family members' pain. Not only did she find out her brother and his fiancée were hurt, but she found out the love of her life had been shot twice and was in emergency surgery.

Closing my eyes, I hold her close and thank God we all made it through. "Are you okay, Ali?"

Her head nods against my chin before she pulls back to look at me. "Yes, I'm okay, but thank God you're here. I need a break from the world's grumpiest patient." She rolls her eyes.

I chuckle. "Come on, he can't be that bad."

"Yeah, okay," she says. "You can just go see for yourself. Tanya is taking me by his office to grab a few things and then I'm going by Jasper's apartment to shower and change. I hope he doesn't run you off before I return." She sounds exasperated with him.

I can't imagine he'd be that bad. It'd take a lot to run Alice off from anything, much less the man she loves. He must be in one bear of a mood if he has her running for the hills.

I lean closer and talk quietly. "Hey, Ali, I know he may be being an ass, but go easy on him. There's a lot more than just his injuries on his mind. Things happened at that cabin that're going to take some time to get over."

"I know." She sighs. "And he hasn't shared much about it, but I know it's bothering him. Maybe you could talk to him since you were there?"

"I'll do my best, Ali," I promise.

"That's all I can ask for. Now you better get down there before he harms a nurse or something," she pushes.

I hold my hands up. "Okay, I'm going, and I'll be here when you get back. Promise I won't let him run me off."

"Is he giving you a hard time, Alice?" Emmett asks, cracking his knuckles. "I can adjust that attitude if you need me to." He sports a boyish smile, and his attempt at humor makes Alice beam.

"Thanks, Emmett. I might just take you up on that before they let him go home."

I roll my eyes at their antics and break in. "All right, enough picking on helpless Jasper when he isn't even here to defend himself." I turn and tap Emmett on the chest. "Let's go before he dies of loneliness."

"Yeah, yeah." Alice smack me on the stomach. "You'll see for yourself."

"You go take care of you and I'll take care of your man," I tell her, motioning to the elevator.

"See you in a bit," she says, stepping inside.

As Tanya goes to pass, she stops in front of me. "Maybe you can talk some sense into Jasper. He wants to give up his position with IA and move to Forks."

My brows rise. "He's already mentioned it?"

She nods decisively. "Oh, yes. As a matter of fact, he was very insistent. I'd hate for him to step down in career, though."

I think over Jasper's situation and can't help but agree with him. "Well, Tanya, I can see his point. When you meet the love of your life, things like careers aren't as important. I'm sure we can find him a position in Forks that will keep him satisfied."

She cocks a brow. "You're agreeing with him then?"

"I am," I insist. "Maybe one day you'll be lucky enough to experience that for yourself." With a smile, I motion for her to join Alice and turn and make my way to Jasper's room.

Emmett just barges right on through Jasper's door without even a knock. His voice is raised when he speaks. "What's up, my man?"

Jasper's eyes turn to slits at the sudden, loud interruption. "What the fuck, man. Tone it down. We're in a hospital, not a zoo," he snaps.

Emmett comes up short and snorts, putting his hands up in front of him. "Whoa there, grumpy. No need to get your panties in a twist."

Jasper sighs and runs his hand through his hair. "Fuck, I know. I'm just so ready to be out of this place. And as much as I love Alice, she's driving me crazy with all the mothering."

I laugh outright. "What did you expect? This is Alice we're talking about."

"I know, and I feel like shit for being an ass, but this shit sucks," he says, waving his hands around the room.

"Dude," Emmett starts, "you're laid up in here with your woman tending to your every whim, while also getting pain meds pumped into your grumpy ass. What's not to love?"

Jasper slumps a little in his spot. "You're right. I'm just ready to get the fuck out of here."

I clear my throat. "Speaking of that, Tanya said you're thinking of leaving IA? Want to talk about that?"

He nods, but huffs. "Oh I'm definitely leaving, there's no thinking to it. She'd just like to wish I'm thinking on it. I told her my intentions though."

I take the seat next to his bed. "Yeah, I figured as much. Shit could've turned out in a different way and it's made you realize what's really important. I know the feeling, man."

"She _is_ important, too," he says. "The most important." He smacks himself on the forehead. "And I've been a dick to her. Fuck!"

"Nah, man. She's annoyed with your ill ass, but she loves you and isn't holding grudges," Emmett chimes in from his spot on the other side of the bed. "I did tell her I'd adjust your attitude if she asked though."

Jasper chuckles then winces, grabbing his side. "I'd let you, too, if I didn't hurt so much already. I'm just so ready to go home and forget any of this ever happened. I promise I won't be a grumpy ass to her anymore though."

My voice is quieter when I speak. "I don't think we'll be forgetting this for a very long time." My eyes meet his. "Do you intend to do anything about Bree's accident?"

As an officer of the law, I should make sure the right information gets out there, but in this case, everyone who had anything to do with it is dead. I'm not sure it would bring anyone comfort to know that Peter cut the lines or that James tricked him into doing it. This is something I intend to leave completely up to Jasper.

He learned so much information in those few hours. I don't know how he feels about any of it, except that he told Bella he's okay that she killed Peter instead of me. Is he really? I don't know for sure, but that's conversation for another time.

His eyes close for a moment and a brief flash of pain crosses his features. When he meets my eyes again, it's like he's put the matter completely from his mind. "I don't see how it can help anybody. It's been a long time and all three of them are dead now." He stops and swallows visibly. "Do you … do you agree?" he asks hesitantly.

"I do agree, Jasper, but I also think it's something we need to discuss deeper on another day. You can't just bury it and pretend you never heard what you did. It'll eat you alive. Can you agree to that?" I ask, hoping he doesn't think I'm trying to be an ass, but my only real concern is for him. I can't have him burying this until it chokes him.

He nods. "I can. Let me get out of this godforsaken place and home." He sighs. "Home, with Alice, then we'll talk about it all. Really talk." His eyes convey how serious he is, and that's all I can ask for right now.

"Good." I smile. "So, how much longer before they release you?"

He sighs, looking dejected. "A couple more days at the very least."

"Fuck, man, that sucks, but you want to be up on your feet before you go home. Trust me, it'll be much harder if you can't get around on your own," I reason.

He flops his head back and sighs. "Yeah, I know."

"Hey, look at it this way. At least when they do let you go home, you'll have Alice as your sexy nurse, all in the privacy of your own home." Emmett wiggles his brows as he says this.

Jasper lets a small smile curve his lips. "Yeah, I will, if I haven't run her off already."

We spend the next while watching the Seattle Mariners get their ass kicked before Alice breezes into the room. I turn my head and catch her eyes, letting her know that everything's okay in here.

She gives me a slight nod and walks straight to Jasper, who opens his arms. The smile that lights her face is brilliant as she steps closer and very carefully leans into him. Sitting right next to them, I hear Jasper's insistent apologies for being a major pain in the ass and her assurances that it doesn't matter.

The moment feels too intimate for my ears, so I get up and stand at the foot of the bed. When Alice pulls back, her eyes are glassy when they meet mine. She beams at me, letting me know all is well.

"I guess since you're back now, Em and I will get out of your way." I turn to Jasper. "We're probably headed back to Forks soon, so I don't know if I'll make it back or not, but I'll be by when you get home."

"Sounds good, man. And thanks." He gives me a pointed look, thanking me for a lot of things.

I tilt my head in a nod and start for the door.

Emmett has to get a last word in because he's just Emmett. "I handled him for you, Alice. He won't be giving you any more problems now." He winks at Jasper.

Jasper plays along. "Oh, yeah. He punished me good and hard."

"Somehow, I'm sure Alice will punish you all on her own." I smirk as I exit the room, leaving Jasper behind with my evil sister.

"You can count on that." Alice's voice trails after us as we start down the hall.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

When we arrive back at the hotel, Em and I both make our way to Bella and my room since that's where the girls are. But what greets me when I walk in isn't what I expected at all.

" … decided … to become a police officer," Bella finishes her sentence to Rose and my mind starts spinning.

"Like hell you will," I yell before I can stop myself.

Bella's eyes snap to mine, wide and innocent, before they narrow into slits. "Excuse me?" she grits between clenched teeth.

Uh oh. This might be ugly. Rose and Emmett take the cue and make excuses to be anywhere but in this room right now.

"Later, man," Em says on his way out the door with his wife right behind him.

I throw my keys on the little table by the door and scrub my hand through my hair. Fuck! What in the hell is she thinking? And why would she tell Rose this and not me?

Slowly, I approach the bed where she's sitting with her arms crossed and her bitch brow firmly in place. "Baby," I say softer than the tone I used earlier. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Uh, probably because it's something that I've been considering these last few days."

"Why? Why would you consider something like that?" I ask, because this is completely out of left field for me.

"For one, I'm tired of being a victim. I want to be able to take care of myself, and hopefully I can help others along the way," she explains, but no way is that going to sway me.

I sigh. "Baby, the man that made you a victim is dead and gone. He'll never ever bother you again. There's no need to endanger yourself further by becoming a cop. I won't stand for it!" My voice rises and I can't help it. Just thinking about my Bella on the streets dealing with criminals scares the life out of me.

She jumps from the bed, fists balled at her sides, and steps up in my face. "_You _won't stand for it? Who the fuck do you think you are? _You_ don't tell me what I can and can't do!"

"I can and I will. I love you, but when you're talking nonsense, I have to speak up. And this is nonsense. You're not becoming a cop, Bella," I retort my voice still even, but with a hard glint to my words.

She laughs; it's harsh and cold. "I don't know who you think you are, but I already have one man vying for the spot as my father. I damn sure don't need two."

Her words feel like a slap across the face. Is that what I'm acting like? I'm only trying to protect her. I love her, I _need_ her to be safe. Not on the streets dealing with the same type of thugs she just got away from.

I try a softer approach. "Baby, I can't let you put yourself in danger like that."

"You can't _let _me?" she asks, hand on hip. "I've got news for you, _Detective_"—she pokes me in the chest with her pointer finger—"you don't _let_ me do anything. I do what the fuck I want, when the fuck I want to. Now, you can either like it and support me or just shut the fuck up about it, because this is _my_ decision and you have no say."

And now she's pissing me off. "No say! You've agreed to be my wife! Don't tell me I have no fucking say in you putting yourself out there with fucking criminals!"

"Oh, is that what this is?" She scoffs. "You think because I agreed to marry you that you can run my fucking life?" She's all up in my face as she says this and the fire in her eyes does nothing but make my cock come to life.

This is so not the time for this. I'm beyond pissed that she thinks she's decided this and hasn't even bothered mentioning it to me, but more than that, the passion she's expressing over it is doing nothing but make me tense and hard … everywhere.

"No I don't think that," I say stepping closer to her. "But as the man you're going to marry, I do get a say. You should at least be open to discussion."

She stiffens and moves right up against my chest, her chin lifts high and her eyes meet mine. Fire and passion burn there, and my body burns in return.

"Maybe if you hadn't come in here demanding, I wouldn't be so pissed," she grits out. "But no, you had to come in here like you own me, and now you've only made me more determined."

I grip her chin in my hand. "I do fucking own you, Bella." Her eyes widen as I lean down and grab her bottom lip with my teeth, giving it a tug.

She reacts violently, pushing hard against my chest. "And now you think you're going to fuck me? Does it turn you on, baby?" She stalks closer, right back up against my chest. "Does it make your cock hard to boss me around, Detective?" She brushes where I'm hard with the back of her hand, daring me.

I grab her hand and push it into me harder while pressing back with my pelvis. "You mean this, baby? _This_ is because you turn me on so fucking much with that fire in your eyes, that passion that's radiating off you." I step back, breaking contact. "But this isn't something I want you passionate about, Bella. I need you to be reasonable."

"Reasonable." She scoffs, moving back into my space. "I'll consider being reasonable when you consider not acting like you fucking own me. When you realize I don't answer to you or need permission from you to do anything."

With that, she lunges. Her lips attack mine and her hands go straight to my hair, grabbing two fistfuls. Her tongue shoves its way into my mouth, and I can't stop myself from reacting. With a growl, I pull her body closer and plunder her mouth with my tongue, exploring every inch of it.

My hands cup her ass and my fingers slide along the seam of her jeans. She moans into my mouth with every pass as I move them closer and closer to where she's dying for me to touch. When I've driven her to the point where she can stand no more, she snatches her lips from mine and yanks her shirt over her head.

Tossing it across the room, she steps in and does the same to mine. Her movements are more forceful than usual, but I'm okay with that, more than okay. If I can't talk some sense into her, maybe I can fuck some into her.

I step back in and reach around, unclasping her bra. It too falls to the floor. I bring my hands around and cup her tits, then I roll her nipples between my fingers, and they pucker instantly. I lean down and grab one between my teeth, tugging, while my fingers work her zipper.

She grips my hair and pushes my face closer, hums of pleasure escaping her lips. I suck her into my mouth hard as I pull her jeans and thong down her legs. She kicks them to the side and starts for my zipper. With deft hands, they're removed in an instant, so I lift her and toss her to the bed that's a couple feet away.

She smirks and scoots back, challenging me with her stare.

I shake my head and chuckle. "You shouldn't challenge me like this, baby. Not right now, not today." I stalk toward her.

Her fingers circle one peak, then make their way down. I freeze in my spot to watch. With a sensual caress, she follows the planes of her smooth stomach before sliding even further and opening her legs wide. Her eyes bore into mine as her fingers find that spot and her body arcs from the pleasure she's creating.

Shaking my head to clear it, I crawl onto the bed and stop her hand. "You know that's my pussy, right, Bella? You know I'm the one who decides when you get to come." I move her fingers and replace them with my mouth.

My tongue goes straight to her clit and her hands grip my hair. I circle slow and easy, driving her insane, and when she's writhing beneath me, begging for more, I press harder and circle faster. I insert a finger, then another. In and out they work with the rhythm of my mouth. She pants and squirms, so I put my other hand on her stomach to hold her in place.

In and out, over and over, I circle and slide and flick and press. When I'm sure she's been pushed to the brink I remove both my lips and fingers and sit on my haunches with a smirk in her direction.

As soon as she realizes what I've done, her eyes snap from their lust-filled haze and turn to slits. "What the fuck, Edward?"

I lean my body to hover over her, my hard cock already seeking out her warm heat. "Don't think I'm going to make it that easy, baby. You've been bad and you need to be punished." As soon as she starts to protest, I shove my tongue down her throat.

She battles me with her tongue instead of her words since I won't let those escape. She's hard and insistent, plunging and thrusting with force.

I grab her hands and push them up beside her head, exposing all of her to me, then I pull my lips from hers. "Ah, ah, ah, baby. I'm the one controlling this."

She twists and turns to no avail. My body covers her and my grip is a vice. "Fuck you, Edward," she sneers. "Just fuck me." Her hips thrust up, allowing my cock to slide between her slick folds.

"Come on, baby," she purrs. "You know you want to." She raises up and puts her lips next to my ear. "Fuck. Me. Hard."

Goddammit!

I release her hands and grip my cock. Her lip goes between her teeth as she watches my movements with lust-hooded eyes. "You like that, Bella?" I pump my cock again.

She licks her lips then meets my eyes. "What's the matter, Edward? Afraid you can't handle it?"

I snap.

I grab her legs and throw them over my shoulders as I bury myself inside her with one long thrust. Our combined moans fill the room.

"Does this feel like I can't handle it, baby?" I ask as I pound into her relentlessly.

"You're going to be begging me to make you come," I growl in her ear.

My words only seem to push her farther. She starts fluttering around me. I snatch my cock away. "Uh, uh, not that easy, baby. Not until I say so."

Her eyes turn to slits and she raises up, shoving me on my back. "You must've forgotten who runs this show, Detective," she says, and she slams herself down on my cock and bounces up and down.

I have to grit my teeth at the sight before me to keep from blowing my load right then. When I've gained control again, I grasp her hips and start to move her faster. She tweaks and pulls and pinches on her tits while moaning and panting, riding me for all she's worth.

When I think I can't take anymore, I slide my fingers to that magic place. The one that makes her tense and moan louder. With one hand still guiding her, I lean up and pant in her ear, "Now, Bella. Come on my fucking cock, baby."

She tenses beneath my grasp and her walls tighten. Pushing and pulling, I move her until she's a limp mess. Only then do I let go of the release I've been holding.

"Bella," I grunt out as my cock pulses inside her.

She's limp in my arms, so I guide us onto our sides, her back to my front. Moving her hair from her sweaty neck, I place a gentle kiss there before moving my lips to her ear. "This isn't over, Bella."

She sighs. "Damn right it's not."

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**Nope, that's not settled at all lol.**

**See you in two weeks! **


	20. Compromise?

**It goes without saying, but we want to say it anyway… this story wouldn't be nearly as good without our team. Our pre-readers and beta are the best team any writer could ask for. Thanks so much Judy, Mana and kitchmill.**

* * *

**BPOV**

"Here you go." Rose passes me some foundation.

Today is my first day back at the shelter. Everyone tried to convince me to wait a little longer before going back, but I'm feeling much better and my bruises are barely noticeable and easily hidden by make-up—hence the foundation. I'm ready to get back to my life.

We've been back in Forks for three days. We came home once we were sure Jasper was going to be released soon.

He and Alice will be coming back this weekend. Carlisle and Esme will be bringing them. Carlisle actually volunteered since he's a doctor, even though I don't think he's exactly thrilled Jasper will be living with his princess.

I also learned that once he's better, Jasper will be working with Edward, much to _Tanya's _disappointment. Alice is thrilled though, and Edward is happy to have him on the force.

Even though we're not on the best of terms, I still moved in with Edward when we came home, which is where we are now as I get ready for my day.

Speaking of Edward … "I'm heading in to work now. Are you sure you're okay to go back?"

Glaring at him through the mirror, I give him the same answer I've given him a thousand times. "Yes, Edward!"

He narrows his eyes. "Excuse me for worrying." He does come over and kiss the back of my head. "I love you."

My eyes close. "I love you too."

Once the door closes, Rose giggles. "So I guess you guys are still arguing."

Huffing, I finish powdering my face and turn to look at her. "Yes, and honestly I don't know what to do at this point. We start talking, it turns to yelling and ends with fucking. I mean don't get me wrong, it's some really great fucking, but nothing is getting worked out other than my pussy."

Her eyes widen. "Bella!"

Winking at her, I turn back to the mirror.

After she gets over the fact that when it's just us, I can still be the foul-mouthed girl she met, she gets serious. "Well, you two can figure this out. You've been through things way worse than this. Try to see things from his point of view. Can you see why he might not be happy about you wanting to be a police officer?"

"Absolutely. Though it might make more sense if he was an accountant or something." An idea pops into my head. Oh, Edward …

She stands and starts brushing my hair as I finish my eye shadow. She's going to make an awesome mom someday. "I don't think I like that look in your eye. What did that devious mind just come up with?"

Looking at her through the mirror, I hand her a rubber band to pull my hair back while giving her my most innocent smile. "Nothing."

She gives me narrowed eyes. "Yeah, that might work with Edward, but not me. Spill." She props her chin on my shoulder. She won't let it go.

"Let's just say I think I've figured out a way to finally make Edward listen."

"Uh oh. Should I be scared for Edward?"

I squish my face. "Not if he finally hears what I say."

"Maybe you could just try talking again before doing whatever scheme your pretty little head just conjured up." She looks so hopeful.

I arch a brow. "Did I mention the talking, yelling and the fucking?"

She rolls her eyes. "Okay. Okay. I get it."

We gather our stuff before heading to her car.

We've gotten someone new at the shelter. She's a young girl, barely eighteen, if that. Her name is Maggie. I'm anxious to meet her, but first I'm welcomed back by everyone else. No one mentions anything. It's like an unwritten rule that no one ever brings anything up unless it's in therapy or the woman it happened to brings it up herself.

I'm quickly caught up on what's been going on. Zafrina will be moving out soon. I hate that I didn't get to spend more time here and get to know her better, but I'm happy for her. I know firsthand how good it feels to be able to change your life. "Congratulations. You'll have to invite me over. I promise to bring cake; just tell me what your favorite is."

She reaches out and gives me a hug. "Of course. I've already told Rose that I hope it will be okay if I still spend some time here when I can. I'll miss you all too much if I don't."

Heidi excitedly tells me she's going on a date, her first one in a long time. I give her the only advice I can. "Make sure he treats you like a lady. If he's not willing to treat you like you're special then he's not worth your time."

"Is that how your man treats you?"

They all know I'm engaged, and even though I'm not thrilled with Edward right now, I still answer honestly. "He lets me know every day that I'm the most important person in his world. Now granted, there aren't many men out there like my Edward, but you should never accept less than someone who is always willing to put you first."

She squeals a little. "That's so sweet. Thanks, Bella."

Everyone giggles at her enthusiasm. Irina shyly tells me she passed her GED while I was away. We studied together a time or two when I was here. She struggled a bit in the languages portion, being that Russian is what her mother always spoke around their home. "Congratulations. I'm not at all surprised."

She blushes. "It was very difficult and I was sure I failed, but somehow I managed to pass."

Rose pipes up. "The only person worried was her. We all knew she had it."

Before poor Irina's face can turn any redder, Kate gets my attention. She's Rose's second in command and helps keep things running smoothly. "Bella, we're really glad you're okay. Hopefully we can all do dinner or watch a movie or something."

"I'd really like that. Thanks. I didn't get to know everyone quite as much as I wanted to before, but I plan to this time. I'll have to get Rose to get me the schedules for everything."

We all chat a little more before Kate heads off to check on lunch.

"Everything going okay? Not feeling too overwhelmed?" Rose asks, ever the big sister.

"I'm good. Everyone is curious, rightly so, but they've all been really good about not asking anything." I'm just not ready to get into that whole mess yet. Not on my first day back.

"Well no pressure, but don't forget group sessions are open if you're interested."

She wants me to attend some of the counseling sessions here, and I've thought about it. Now, more than ever, might be time. "Thanks. Could you be sure to get me all the times and stuff please?"

A huge smile lights her face. "Sure. Yeah, definitely. I'll get it to you before you leave today. Now I better get back to work."

A little later I pop into the kitchen to grab a soda. A curly red head looks through the cabinets. I don't recognize the hair, so this must be Maggie.

"Hi."

She jumps and turns around. She looks so terrified I immediately feel terrible for scaring her. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. I'm Bella. I didn't mean to startle you."

Her eyes dart all around, looking for an escape. "Hey. It's okay. I work here.

You're fine. You must be Maggie. Rose told me about you." I slowly walk up to her with my hands out to show I'm not going to hurt her. She finally starts to relax.

"Um yeah … yes … I'm Maggie. Rose did mention you."

Her voice is so quiet I have to strain to hear her. Right away I can tell this girl is so broken, so near being beyond repair. But I will do whatever I can to help her. I didn't make the best decisions when I needed help. I put myself into some bad situations that could have turned out so much worse for me, even worse than what I did go through. But somehow I was lucky to meet good people who helped me, and now I need to do that for this girl. I _need_ to help her the way Edward, Rose, Emmett, Alice, Jasper and even Charlie have helped me. Before now, I could understand why Rose does what she does, but I could never really relate. But now … now I can understand it and _feel _it. In my heart I can still feel that this isn't _my_ calling, not for life, but I feel so kindred to this girl and I will do my best to mend her.

"Nice to meet you, Maggie. I hope that we can be good friends. Looking for anything specific? Maybe some chocolate?"

Later on I'm clicking my seatbelt as Rose pulls out. "So I was coming into the kitchen earlier and noticed you in there with Maggie. How did that go? We've all barely gotten ten words out of her."

"I used chocolate to bribe her to sit and chat with me. Really, though, I did most of the talking. I didn't want her to feel pressured. Oh, Rose, she's been hurt so badly by someone. I would love to find out who it was so I could go kick some ass."

She smirks. "You know, missy, if you do become a police officer you won't be able to just kick ass. Pretty sure that would get you fired. You'll have to learn to control that temper and that mouth of yours. It's likely Edward doesn't even have anything to worry about because I doubt you could even pass the academy. You'll probably smart off at your first instructor and get booted."

"Ha ha ha. I'm getting better at controlling my temper." Her stupid eyebrow arches in my direction. "What? I am. It's a work in progress. You can't expect me to change overnight." I sneak a sly peek in her direction before we both dissolve into laughter. I sober up in time to catch her before she drives too far from the destination I need.

"Hey, could you drop me off at the precinct, please?"

"Why?" She hesitates, but puts her blinker on to head in that direction.

"I think it's time to settle this disagreement with Edward once and for all."

She pulls up in front a short while later. "Don't do anything you'll regret, Bella."

"Me? Never." I throw her a wink and jump out of the car. Time to end this argument … or make it much worse. Nah. No negative thinking allowed.

I see Emmett as soon as I enter and make a beeline for him. "Hi, Em. I need you to do me a favor, please. Could you take me to see Charlie and let Edward know I'm here?" I keep my expression open and friendly so he won't suspect I'm up to anything.

"Sure thing. How was your first day back at the shelter?"

"It was really good. It feels good to feel like I'm useful."

He slings an arm over my shoulder. "You about ready to give me a rematch at pool?"

Snorting, I look up at him. "Anytime, anyplace. It's always fun to watch you lose."

We trade a few barbs as he walks me up to the door that says Chief Swan. He knocks then swings it open. With a pat on my back and a quick greeting to Charlie, he tells us he'll leave us alone.

Charlie stands up and comes around his desk. "Hi. I'm so glad you came by. You're looking so much better. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. I'm feeling really good. I'm sorry I haven't been by before now. We just got back a few days ago, but I guess you know that." This is all kinds of awkward. Charlie is growing on me since he saved our lives and all, but I don't really know much about him.

"I've been keeping in touch with Edward and telling him to let me know if you needed anything." He looks so desperate, I'm starting to feel bad for the reason I came here.

I'm thinking of scratching the whole idea when Edward pops his head in. Too late. He knows me too well, so the look on his face clearly shows suspicion. "Hey. Emmett said you were here. What's up?"

"I had Rose drop me off here after work. I wanted to talk to Charlie about what we've been discussing." I take the seat in front of the desk.

"No. You do _not_ need to bother the chief with that since it's not happening." He tries to look all firm standing straight and crossing his arms. All it makes me want to do is jump him, which is part of our problem.

Charlie rounds his desk and takes his seat again. "What's going on? Bella, what do you want to talk to me about?"

I look at Edward one more time before giving Charlie my full attention. "Joining the academy. I want to know what I have to do to become a police officer."

I barely see the stunned look on Charlie's face before my chair is turned to face Edward again. "What the hell? I said this isn't going to happen."

"And I say it is. We're engaged, Edward, but that doesn't mean you get to make all my decisions."

He scrubs his face. "No. You're right. But, it does mean that I should at least be included in those decisions."

"But you won't even listen to my reasons or consider it. You just automatically say it isn't going to happen." Our voices are rising with each word we speak.

"Because you're not going to put yourself in danger every day. I love you too much to have you out there on the streets risking your life." His eyes are blazing, and it's time to go for part two of my plan.

"Okay. If that's really how you feel." I turn to face Charlie again. "I guess I won't be joining and Edward will be turning in his notice."

There's sputtering behind me while the mustache in front of me twitches in obvious amusement.

Edward leans over me, placing both hands on the arms of my chair. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

I smile up at him as sweetly as I ever have. "Well, if I can't join because you worry about me being on the street every day, then I guess it's only fair that you quit since of course I love you and worry about you too. You risk your life all the time. I mean, look at how we met. I'm sure we can both find something else to do to help people, but much safer."

He looks over at Charlie. "Chief, could you excuse us for a few minutes? Do you mind if we borrow an interrogation room?"

Once Charlie gives the okay, Edward gently takes my arm and leads me out. Tension radiates from his body. His jaw is clenched, the hand that isn't holding me is fisted and his breathing is heavy. I'm starting to feel really bad about what I did. I knew he'd be pissed, but I didn't think he'd be this angry.

Once the door closes behind us, he drops my arm and starts pacing, pulling at his hair. Finally, he turns to me. "Dammit, Bella. That was really stupid. You could've cost me my job. The job you cared so much about me having at one time that you sent me away. What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry." I start to tear up. I never wanted him to be really upset with me. "I swear I wouldn't have done it if it had been anyone other than Charlie, but I knew he wouldn't really take me seriously."

He wipes away the tear that escapes my eye. "Still, it was very unprofessional. He's trying to build a relationship with you. It's not right to use him like that. That's not who you are anymore."

"No. I wasn't trying to use him. I … look, I fucked up. I didn't think things through. I just wanted you to really listen to me. We weren't getting anywhere and I didn't know how to really make you listen without it turning into a huge fight or a fuckfest."

He pulls me to him and hugs me, cradling my head under his chin. "Did you really think going about things this way would not lead to a fight? And I don't hear you complaining too much about the sex."

I lightly slap his chest. "I knew it probably wouldn't go over well." He pulls away enough to let me see the look on his face. "Okay I knew it _definitely _wouldn't go over well, but I thought I could get my point made and we'd be less likely to really fight, or fuck, in public." I should've listened to Rose, not that I will ever say those words out loud.

He takes a step away and leads me to sit down. He goes to sit on the other side. "Okay, let's talk. I promise to listen."

I smooth my hands over the table. "Where we met. Such memories. I wanted to slap you, run from you, but mostly fuck you that day."

Laughing, he leans back in his chair. "I was trying so hard to remain professional and unattached, but you were so different. You certainly didn't make things easy for me. Still don't, obviously. I wouldn't have it any other way. Best interrogation of my life." He winks at me.

We let the memories linger for a moment before getting into why we're here today. "Edward, I'm sorry I didn't discuss things with you first. I promise I had planned to. It was never my intention to just spring things on you."

"I understand that. I wish you would've talked with me as soon as the idea even came to you, and definitely before you discussed it with Rose. I know you're close to her and I'm happy about that, but, baby, I want you to be able to talk to me about anything … though I guess I didn't make a strong case for that with this situation." He pulls that sexy as fuck hair some more.

"Baby, give the hair a break. Pulling it is my job, and we're not to that part yet." I wink at him. "I know I can come to you with things. Honestly, it was just an idea that I'd been bouncing around. She was there, so I thought I'd throw it out there, out loud, to see how it sounded. It wasn't even something I was decided on. Of course then you overheard, and you know the rest."

He leans toward me, hands fisted. Looking very detective-y. Yum. I shake my head. I need to keep my hormones in check … for now. "Can you tell me why you would even consider being a cop? You could do so much more. It's not very glamorous."

Taking a second to pull my words together, this is my time to try to make him finally understand. "Since I was fifteen, I've been a victim. A victim of some man, a victim of my own bad choices, a victim of my mother, a victim of circumstances. I've also been lucky enough to for some reason have this survivor instinct that's gotten me through it all. Maybe it's just something I was born with. Maybe it's something I developed. Maybe it's something I had because I knew you were out there waiting to help me."

He rolls his eyes. "Baby, you never needed my help. Either way, I'm glad you survived everything. But that's all behind you. You don't have to ever worry about any of that anymore, so why be a police officer now?"

I lean across and take his hands in mine. "Because I won't ever be anyone's victim anymore. No matter what happens in life. But even more than that, I want to help other people who are victims now. Maybe they don't have what it takes to survive and they need someone to help them. I want to do that."

He pulls his hands away and stands. "You do realize that being a police officer isn't just about helping people, right? It's sometimes writing tickets for jaywalking and speeding. It's breaking up drunken brawls. It's arresting meth-heads. Most of the time it's not exciting or helpful. And when you do get to a level that you can be more helpful, often times we're too late. Could you handle that? We couldn't help Jessica. No one helped Bree. No one helped you. Could you live with that?"

Taking a deep breath, I consider everything he's saying. "I've given this a lot of thought. Especially the last few days. I know it's not all sunshine and roses. But, baby, you did help Jessica because her killer was brought to justice. And you helped me because look at me … a year ago I would never have imagined having this conversation. I can't save everyone or even most people, I realize that, but can you tell me it isn't worth it to you? That the ones you do save don't make it worth all the bad days?"

He comes to me and pulls me into his arms. "They do. It's a good job. I won't lie to you about it. It's hard and some days I feel like quitting, but then some days I feel like I really changed someone's life and it makes it worth all the late nights and hard days. But, Bella, baby, I just, I don't know if I could handle knowing you're out there. You're right. It is your decision and I will support you, but you have to know it will kill me that something could happen to you."

I let him hold me and try to push all the love I have for him into our embrace. "Nothing is set in stone yet. But don't you think it terrifies me when you go into work? But I trust that you know what you're doing, that you would never put yourself in unnecessary danger and that you have good men around you. If I do this, you'll have to trust me the same." I look up into his eyes, so full of anguish, yet there's also pride there.

"Well that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We didn't destroy anything. No sex though." I pout.

He leans over, kissing my poked out lips. "That's a two way mirror. No way are we doing anything in here. Come on. Let's go see the chief. We'll save the make-up sex for later."

Now that sounds like a plan. I knew I loved him for some reason other than his looks.

We step back into Charlie's office since the door is still open. He looks up and sees us with our arms around each other.

"I guess you worked things out. Is Edward still tendering his resignation?" That 'stache is still twitching.

"No. There will be no need for that." I take a seat in the chair facing his desk again. "I would still like the information about joining, though just for information purposes for now please."

Charlie raises a brow, clearly gauging Edward's reaction while reaching into the desk drawer filled with files beside him. Once he sees Edward isn't going to freak out, he looks over and shuffles through before pulling out a folder. He hands me the whole thing. "This is all the information you will need. It explains requirements, schedules and such. Just look it over and let me know if you have any questions."

This is embarrassing, but I figure I should ask. "I've never been convicted of anything, but with my history … uh, will I even be able to be a police officer if I do go forward?"

Charlie's face heats up, clearly not fond of hashing out my past career. "Your past will be checked, credit, criminal history, school transcripts. As long as it's all clean, you should be okay. You were just technically a witness for the Hunter case, so it shouldn't even be an issue. But honestly, I can't promise it won't come up."

Figuring as much, I'm already aware that might be a problem. "Okay. I appreciate the honesty. It appears I have some thinking to do and we"—I look to Edward—"have some more talking to do."

I stand to leave; I've taken up enough of their time. Charlie gives Edward the okay to run me home. Before leaving, I turn one more time to Charlie and invite him to lunch over the weekend. He accepts, and I find I'm actually happy about it.

Later that night I tell Edward all about Maggie and how I hope I can help her break out of her shell. He assures me if anyone can, it'll be me. Remembering how she loved the chocolate, I make plans to go get her some of her very own for her to keep in her room so she can have something that's hers. It's not much, but I hope it's a start.

We also discuss the folder Charlie gave me. I might be in for a battle if I decide to pursue the academy, but then I've never been one to shy away from going after what I want.

Having a lot to think over and a lot to consider, it helps knowing Edward will be with me every step of the way. He will be there to help me make the best decisions for me as a person and us as a couple. That's the way things are supposed to be.

Later, I gather all the stuff for ice cream sundaes for dessert and lay a sheet down on the bedroom floor. I leave out the ice cream and we use each other instead. Best make-up sex to date.

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**AN: So… they finally talked and made some headway. If only they would have done that to begin with. They could have saved themselves some trouble, but where's the fun in that. Lol**

**Life is settling back down and getting back to normal. Wonder if that will last. With these two you never know. **

**We just want to say thanks to everyone who has given this story a chance. You are the best readers ever. If you're interested pics, teasers and updates from us, Vampiregirl93 and/or Fyrebirch89 check out our page. The link will be on our profile. 'Fyregirl Fics'**

**Until next time… XOXO**


	21. Taking Steps

*****This chapter has mention of abuse… physical, sexual and emotional. We didn't go into details, but it is discussed. **

**Thanks so much to kitchmill who takes the mess I write and makes it readable. Without her, my chapters would be cringeworthy at best. Lol. Thanks to Mana who pre-reads and gives us her time and thoughts. And thanks to Judy who has had to back away from pre-reading, but has helped us so much to get to this point.**

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**BPOV**

Walking through the doors of the shelter with Rose is much different tonight than any other time I've entered.

After talking it over with Edward, I've decided to tell everyone my story in group therapy.

Since Rose recommended the group sessions they have here again on my first day back, it has weighed on my mind. I tried sitting in on a few. Edward agreed wholeheartedly.

I have to admit, grudgingly, that the meetings started affecting me. I've tried really hard to never see myself as a victim or someone who dwells on the bad parts of my life, but whether I admit it or not, the things that have happened to me and the choices I've made have made me who I am.

I also know every time I cuddle up to Edward at night, have lunch with my friends, walk through these doors for my job or just sit back and look at my life now, I wouldn't change things since it led me to where I am.

The shrink that leads these meetings, Dr. Liam McGregor, persuaded me to even have a few one on one sessions with him. He has some strong shrink voodoo working. According to him, I'm surprisingly well adjusted and stubborn as hell, which he's learned pretty quickly. He says stubbornness is part of what has helped me survive and flourish.

Tonight, though, tonight I'm actually cursing my own stubbornness. Once I make a firm decision I don't allow myself to back down. It's served me well in the past … after all, that's how I got Edward. I wanted him and refused to ever fully accept that he may not want me back or that it wouldn't happen. Now I'm being faced with a decision I made, and for once, I almost wish I could back down, but that's not who I am.

"Bella, you okay? You're spacing out on me." Rose stands in front of me, eyebrows furrowed.

Taking a deep breath, I mentally tell myself to stop being such a pussy. "Yep. I'm good. Just thinking."

She leans closer to me. "You can change your mind. No one will be upset."

Before I can contemplate what she's saying, Maggie walks behind her, heading into the kitchen. She's the reminder I need. "Nope. I'm good. I can't say it will be the most fun night ever, but I got this."

She gives me one of her patented stare-downs before stepping back. "Okay. Well just remember I'm here for you. Everyone in that room will be here for you."

I want to roll my eyes and tell her to stop being so dramatic, but she cares and her words actually do warm my heart and give me an extra hit of confidence.

"Thanks. Now I need to go check in with Liam. Can you make sure Edward and Charlie make it back here?"

"Absolutely. See you in a few."

After a quick hug, I head down the steps to the basement where Liam's office and the meeting rooms are located.

I find him setting up the chairs in the largest room used for group sessions. He's an older man with a receding hairline and a bit of a belly. Not really much to look at now, but he's got the kindest, prettiest blue eyes. I'm sure in his younger days, he was quite a looker. I walk over and help him position the last couple seats.

Once we finish with the last one he turns to me. "So, how are you feeling about tonight, Bella?"

"I'm good." That answer earns me a raised brow. "What?"

He says nothing, only giving me _the look_ I imagine parents give their children when they're caught out after curfew.

I throw my hands up. "Fine! I'm nervous and really want to back out. You're a pain in my ass, doc."

Finally, he drops the eyebrow and his face melts into the smile he normally wears. "You wouldn't be human if you weren't nervous, but you can do this. And more importantly, you _want_ to do this. This is minor compared to much of what you've faced. You'll be surrounded by people who care about you and many of whom have faced similar demons."

I smirk at him. "You don't have to blow smoke up my ass. I'm going to do this. I know it will be a good thing."

My words earn me an eye-roll. "Your fiancé will be here along with your father, correct?"

"Yep. Tonight Charlie will learn about my past, along with everyone else."

Liam's face grows as serious as I've ever seen it. "It will be fine. You've told me Edward and Rose already know the details. Charlie knows some of it from the trial. No one in this room will be judging you for anything that happened out of your control or the choices you made. This is a safe place."

"I know. Really, I'm not nervous about what anyone might think. I've made some poor decisions and there were many things that I couldn't stop no matter what. I've made peace with that. I'm just not used to talking about that stuff. For years, no one cared enough to ask, and now I'm getting this amazing new life and I hate bringing any of that into it."

He places his hand on my arm. "I understand, but remember, all that _stuff_, as you call it, made you who you are today."

"I know. I'm just ready to do this and be done. Charlie will finally know. Hopefully my story will help some of these women know that the past can suck ass and they can still have a great life." My thoughts once again turn to Maggie.

Before we can talk any further, Kate comes in with several platters filled with cookies Rose and I baked. She also starts preparing the coffee pot.

I go over and help her while Liam says he's going to grab his things and help Rose greet everyone.

Soon enough, people start to trickle in. These meetings are for the ladies who live here, but also for other women who have experienced some sort of trauma in life.

In my times coming to these, I've listened to several women tell their stories, some much worse than my own, and I've grown to admire them all. Now it's my turn. I decided after that last meeting I wanted to stand up and speak. I also decided, after talking through my thoughts with Edward, I should invite Charlie.

Since he showed up in my hospital room, we've gotten closer. After apologizing to him for putting him in the middle of my fight with Edward, I invited him over, and it's become a regular thing. I've even brought lunch a few times and eat with Charlie in his office.

I can't say I love him like a father… yet, but I've definitely warmed to him immensely. He's carving a place in my heart, and it's time that he knows everything about me.

I could've told him in private, and probably should've, but I really don't like reliving it over and over. This seemed to be the best way to go. This way, I can tell Charlie, Maggie and anyone else who's listening all at once.

I take a seat at the front, and my nerves start to build more than I even expected. Suddenly I feel a calm wash over me right before Edward takes a seat next to me.

He leans over to kiss my temple, taking my hand in his. "Have I told you how proud I am of you? How much you amaze me?"

Resting my head against his shoulder, I tease him. "A few times, but never enough, Detective."

That earns me a sexy smirk and a wink. "I'll have to be sure to do it more often then."

Before I can respond, he looks over my head, toward the back of the room. "Charlie wasn't sure where you'd want him to sit."

I raise my head and find Charlie standing against a wall, hands in his pockets. When he sees me looking, he takes a hand out and waves. I motion him over to us.

"Thanks for coming. You can sit here next to Edward if you want." This is all a little awkward, but not completely uncomfortable.

"Um, yeah, that would be great if that's okay with you." His face is pinched. Edward told me Charlie was extremely nervous about this, not wanting to do the wrong thing or mess up.

I stand and hug him. "It's good with me. I really do appreciate you coming. Please know that I won't be upset or hurt if you need to leave or … whatever. I know this might be a lot to hear, and I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in a better way."

"Oh, Bella." His chest expands under my arms. "I wouldn't be anywhere else. You just go up there and say what you need to and don't you worry about me. I'll be here when this is over and for as long as you want me around after this."

Getting teary, I need to take a minute away from these wonderful men in my life. I pull back and look that them both. "I need to go speak with Rose. I'll be back." I head back to Rose before any more words are spoken or any tears can fall.

"How you holding up?" she asks as soon as I reach her.

"I'm okay. Just ready to do this before I chicken out and beeline it out the door."

Maggie comes in, head down, followed by Liam who closes the door behind him. "Ready?" he asks.

I nod, and he motions for me to walk in front of him. I take my seat and wait.

After Liam opens the meeting and speaks for several minutes, he asks if anyone would like to speak. He does this instead of calling me up to give me a chance to back out or change my mind.

I stand. "Dr. McGregor, I'd like to speak."

He smiles and invites me up. With a quick hug from Charlie and a kiss from Edward, I'm ready.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Liam closes the meeting quickly after I finish speaking. Edward, Charlie and Rose rush up to me before I can even get a few steps.

Red rims Charlie's eyes, so it's likely he shed a few tears. I glance at Maggie a few times to find her watching me. Other than that, I choose to focus on a place on the wall. It's a technique Liam suggested I try, and it definitely helps.

I'm enveloped by them all, nothing but love and support radiating. I'm exhausted and exhilarated and I've never felt more at peace.

Rose invites us all over for lunch the next day, and once she has everyone's agreement she hugs us all and leaves us to go help say goodbye to everyone.

Charlie seems a little lost, but Liam joins us, and before I know what's happened, doc is walking with him to his office. Knowing Charlie is in good hands, we forgo the food and coffee and instead Edward takes me home.

Once we're home, Edward draws a bath. We both climb into the steaming water, my back against his chest. Few words are spoken as he holds me. I drift off and barely wake as I'm picked up, dried off and carried to bed. The last thing I'm aware of is the arms of the man I love pulling me close.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

A few days have passed since I spoke in public about the things in my past. Lunch with everyone went well. I could tell Charlie wanted to talk with me, but it wasn't the time or the place. I'm not at all surprised when he asks me if he can come over the next day.

When I answer the door, I find dark blue circles carve out the area under his eyes. He's got two-day stubble and his clothes are worn and wrinkled.

Once we're seated, I wait until he's ready to start talking, so I sit back and enjoy my coffee. I've made it through half the cup before he finally speaks.

"Bella, I am so sorry for what you went through. If I had known your mother was pregnant, I would've hunted her down, gone to the ends of the Earth if necessary, to find you. I'll never forgive myself for not trying to find her anyway. I should have known …" He scrubs his face and swipes at his glassy eyes.

I scoot closer to him. "You couldn't have known. Renee is selfish and that's on her. She made the decision to keep us apart. She made the decision to never tell either of us about the other."

He refuses to meet my eyes. "Still, a father's job is to protect his child, and I've failed you in every way. I don't know how you can even stand to be in the same room with me. You were completely justified when you hated me."

Sighing, I do my best to help him see the truth. "I was stupid and angry, but I never hated you. I mean I came close when you tried to take Edward away, but I know now that you were put in a bad situation and did what you thought was best. Now that you know how important he is to me, you'd never do anything like that again. And Charlie …" I wait until he finally meets my eyes. "You did save my life. You came through and went above and beyond when the time came."

He drops his eyes, focusing on his cup while he hopefully ponders my words. I finish my now cool coffee then hop up to get a refill. I offer Charlie one, but he declines.

Once I'm back seated, he changes the direction of our conversation. "Are you interested in pressing charges against Renee and that son of a bitch she married?"

I'm caught off guard by his question. Edward has discussed this with me before, and there is no statute of limitations on the sexual assault of a minor by a parent, stepparent or guardian. "I'm not."

I expect him to argue, but he just sits quietly.

"I talked it over with Edward. I didn't make the decision lightly. For so long, I did want to see them suffer; part of me still does. But I know it would be a huge battle if I tried to file charges. Years have passed, there's no evidence and the fact that I was a prostitute would all work against me."

"I'd make sure they were punished no matter what, if you wanted to go forward."

I might not know all there is to know about him, but I do know he would.

"I appreciate that more than you could ever know. Last time I saw my mother, she was drowning in a bottle of liquor. No matter what she said, she knew the truth about Phil and she's doing more damage to herself than I ever could. As for him … He has no place in my life anymore. I would have to dedicate time and myself to reliving those years and seeking justice, and I just honestly can't. I've moved on. This is a new life for me and they have no place in it. I know the 'right' thing would be to file charges, but the right thing for me is to focus on my present." Many wouldn't agree with me, but I have to do what's right for myself.

"While I can't say I wouldn't love to get my hands on them both and deliver the pain they deserve, I respect your choice. I trust you to know what's best for you. Do you mind if I research them, though? I'd feel better knowing where they are and what they've been up to."

I think it over. I don't see how it could hurt. "I'm okay with that. I just don't want to know what you find unless it will impact the life I have now, please."

"I will never let them affect your life now. I will do anything to keep you safe now that I can. But I can definitely honor that."

"Thank you." I don't stop myself from hugging him, and as I wrap my arms around him, his scent surrounds me and I feel safe and loved. I can't help the twinge in my heart that knows I could have had this my entire life if not for my selfish bitch of a mother, but before letting myself get too upset or depressed I remind myself that I have him now and even though we can't change the past, I can embrace my future.

As I pull back, I bring up one more thing before we can put all this nastiness behind us. "Have you … would you ever consider seeing a shrink? I just, I know that it's helped me talking to Liam and going to those group sessions, and I think it might help you to deal with … everything."

I know he carries a lot of guilt and anger. Maybe someone like Dr. McGregor could help him. "The guy at the meeting, the doctor, mentioned the same thing. He actually told me he could recommend someone. I'm considering it."

I leave it at that. We're enough alike that he has to make this decision himself. I think he'd do it if I asked him to, but he needs to do it for him.

Having talked enough about all this shit, I tell him I'm hungry and ask him to take me to lunch. He takes me to Harry's, a little hole in the wall restaurant that he swears has the best fish fry. The food is delicious, if extremely unhealthy … just what we need after all the heavy talk.

As he drops me back at the house I can't help but feel like things just took a really good turn in our relationship. I can actually see the possibility of someday calling him Dad.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

With everything else in my life going so well, it's time to concentrate more on Maggie. I've spent some time with her, and though I do most of the talking, she seems to be relaxing around me.

Today she's on the couch flipping channels when I come in. "Hey, Mag. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just seeing what's on. I'm sorry. I can go up to my room." She starts to stand.

"It's fine. You watch whatever you want. I brought you something." Once I realized her sweet tooth wasn't limited to chocolate, I've been having fun bringing her various treats from cupcakes to Sour Patch Kids.

I open my bag and take out some orange brownies. I'm a bit obsessed with Paula Deen's recipes. Edward gripes because he says she uses too much butter, but he never complains when he's eating whatever recipe I've gotten from her.

These brownies are the newest thing I've tried, and I knew with the first bite I had to bring some for Maggie. I hand her the container. Her eyes light up like they always do when I bring her something.

She takes the cover off. "What are these? They smell so good."

"Orange brownies. Trust me, you'll love them."

I enjoy the pure joy she always gets over these small treats. It's a brief glimpse at the girl I hope she will be someday.

"Thanks so much, Bella, but you really need to stop bringing me things. I'm not worth your time or money." She ducks her head again, eyes trained on her jeans.

Even though we aren't that far apart in age, I feel very maternal toward her. She is so fragile and small. "Honey, you are worth so much more than some candy or brownies or whatever treat I bring. You're priceless."

Her eyes are full of so much pain when she looks back at me. "Trust me, I'm not."

I take the container from her hands and put it on the coffee table in front of us, then I take her hands. "Why would you think that? You're beautiful and sweet."

"You don't even really know me. My own parents didn't want me. They always told me I was a burden. I only ruined their lives." Now her eyes are glassy and I can see how much this hurts.

"Did they hurt you? Is that why you're here?" I'm hoping she will open up to me.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

I can't push her. "That's fine. Just know that you can tell me anything and I won't judge. You heard my history the other night, and I can tell you it does feel better to talk to someone you can trust."

I decide to leave her to think, so I hand her the container and the remote and go to work.

A couple of days later, I'm in the office taking advantage of some free time and catching up on some assignments for one of my classes. I have the door closed since Kate is also here if anyone needs anything. I'm just finishing up when I hear and soft knock. "Come in."

I'm surprised to see Maggie open the door. "Am I interrupting you? I can come back."

She's already turning as I call out to her. "I'm not busy. Come on in and have a seat." I gesture to the chair in front of the desk.

She pulls it closer to the desk. "Are you sure? I don't want to bother you."

"You're not. Now what's going on?

She sits for a few seconds before speaking. "I was hoping I could talk to you now. I thought about what you said, and I'd really like to tell you about before I came here."

"Of course I want to listen." I pull the chair I'm in around next to her and take her hand. "Whenever you're ready. Just tell me whatever you're comfortable with and go at your pace."

She fidgets, playing with a loose string on her shirt and shifting around in the chair. I sit patiently waiting, knowing she'll start when she's ready. Finally she takes a few deep breaths and starts. "My parents were never nice people. They loved to tell me for as long as I can remember that they regretted having me and regretted keeping me. I can't remember the first time one of them hit me, but I know I was really young. After that first hit, more came easily. I always seemed to do something wrong."

"Honey, you have to know none of that was your fault." I use my free hand to tuck one of her curls behind her ear.

She pretty much ignores what I've just said, but it will take time for her to believe me. Instead she continues.

"One of my teachers noticed when I was in fifth grade. She kept me after class and asked me about all my bruises. I denied anything at first, but finally told her the truth. She took me to the office and called CPS right away. The lady that came from Social Services talked to me and I told her everything.

"She was an older lady, and I could tell even though I was young that she didn't believe me or want to help me. She did take me to some group home and told me I'd be staying there until they spoke to my parents and got things 'cleared up.' I knew then she wasn't really going to help me."

She pulls her hand away and crosses her arms in front of her body. I can literally see her shrink into herself. I steel myself for whatever she has to say next.

"The next day she came back, got me and told me she was taking me home. As we drove, she told me that it wasn't nice to tell lies about my parents. I tried to tell her I wasn't lying, but she refused to even listen to me."

My blood boils at whoever this woman is. Her job was to help Maggie, and instead she didn't even listen and then turned her back over to those monsters.

She's breathing hard, so I ask her if she wants to stop or take a break. She looks up at me and struggles for a moment and then slowly gets her breathing back under control.

"No, I'm okay now. I'd rather just get it all out."

"Okay. Just let me know if you need anything." I sit back and try to tame my temper, not wanting her to see how angry I'm getting.

"After that it was like my parents were given a pass, so the abuse only got worse. By the time I was sixteen, I'd had a few broken bones, a couple of dislocations and more cuts, bruises and wounds than I could count. I'd also gotten really good at hiding my injuries and lying to anyone that questioned me."

We certainly have something in common when it comes to hiding and lying, but I stay quiet and let her continue.

"Then one night, a few days before I turned seventeen, I overheard my parents talking. They were discussing me. They knew I was planning to leave as soon as I could, so they wanted to sell me before I had the chance. I knew they hated me, but I had to stand there and listen for several minutes before I could really believe what they were talking about. I knew then I had to leave, so I snuck out that night. I lived on the streets for a month or so before I was attacked."

I was hoping against hope her story wouldn't have this type of hurt, but sadly I know after her words that it does. Before I can reach out to her or say anything, she keeps going. "Afterward I didn't know what to do so I went to the clinic I'd heard some other people talk about. I was tested, given the Plan B pill and they called Rose. Next thing I know, some blond angel is at my bedside and she invites me here."

Once I'm sure she's finished talking, I try to offer what comfort I can. I know from experience words don't always mean much, but just having someone listen and not judge you, someone who cares, can make a world of difference. "Oh, Maggie. I am so sorry you suffered through all of that, but, honey, you survived it all. You are so strong and brave and amazing. I am so thankful you kept going and now I get the chance to know you."

I reach over and pull her stiff body into a hug. She finally relaxes against me. After a few seconds I feel her tremble, then shudder before she breaks into wrenching sobs. I just hold her.

Finally she must be all cried out. She sits back. Her face is red and swollen, but her eyes are bright and have more life than I normally see. I walk her to her room, grab a cloth to clean her face and tuck her in.

"Please consider talking to Dr. McGregor. Do it at your pace when you're ready, but I think it will help you so much. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me."

Her eyes are drooping and I know how much bearing your soul can drain you, so with a kiss to her forehead, I leave her to sleep.

When I make it home, I head straight to Edward and into his arms.

"What's wrong, baby?"

I don't want to break Maggie's confidence, so I simply tell him she told me her story. That's all he needs to know. He leads me to the couch, and this time I'm the one being held as I cry. Once I've shed my tears, I stay next to him, relishing in having him here.

Later that night, after we've eaten and cleaned up, I'm again cuddled up to him on the couch. This time, having him so close, his scent, the heat from his body, the strong arms around me, I can't stop the desire coursing through me.

I lean up and kiss him. I mean for it to be a kiss to let him know how much I appreciate him, something soft and gentle. Instead, the taste of his lips further ignites the fire that's started, and soon I'm straddling him with our lips still attached.

My fingers feel for the buttons of his shirt, desperate to get it off him. He pulls back enough to help me finish removing his shirt and then doing the same with mine before also removing my bra. He moves his lips down my neck before attaching to my nipples, first one and then the other until both are puckered and hard.

Grinding my hips, I feel how hard he is beneath his jeans. One of his hands is firmly in my hair while the other one makes its way under my skirt. He skillfully pushes aside my panties, using his fingers to find my slick flesh.

Two fingers maneuver inside while his thumb finds my clit. I ride his hand, getting closer to ecstasy. Right before I reach my release, he stills his fingers and removes them. Before I can get pissed, he grips my hips and pushes me to stand.

"Lean over the arm, baby." He doesn't have to tell me twice. I move quickly, bending over the arm of the couch with my ass in the air. He stalks over to me, grabs the waist of my skirt and yanks it down. It pools at my feet before he does the same with my underwear.

I can't see him since he's directly behind me, but I can feel him. The anticipation is killing me. I hear his zipper, then the rustle of denim hitting the floor. Knowing he's behind me naked only fuels my want. I try to arch back, hoping he will touch me. Instead, I only get husky laughter.

"Want something, little girl?"

"Your cock! I need your cock. Please." I'm desperate and don't mind begging if it will get me what I need.

"This cock?" He runs his length against me, only pushing in the very tip before pulling back to run up and down my slit again.

"Yes. Please!"

When he dips the tip in again, I try to push back, hoping to force him farther in. Unfortunately, he pulls back too quickly. "Uh uh. I'm running this tonight."

I feel a sharp slap on my ass cheek. I moan out, my need getting out of control. I start to chant, "Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Ple—"

Suddenly he thrusts in, stealing my breath.

He holds still for just a second before setting a fast, hard pace. He's so deep and hitting the spot he's become an expert at finding.

My hands grab the fabric beneath me, struggling to hold on. With no warning, my orgasm hits and I call his name. His hands tighten around my hips and he reaches his own release, his warmth coating my walls.

No longer able to hold myself up, I collapse in total bliss. Edward drops kisses along my spine before removing himself. He helps me to stand before leading us to the shower.

* * *

**AN: So this was a fairly busy chapter. Bella revealed her past to Charlie… and a room full of other people and hopefully it will help them continue to grow closer. **

**We also learned about Maggie's past. Wonder if knowing will affect Bella… **

**Thanks so much for reading and we'll see you next time…**

*****Please don't forget to check out our page on FB for pics and teasers. You can find it under FyreGirl Fics.**


	22. Puzzle Pieces

**Thanks so much to the lovely kitchmill! She worked over the holiday weekend to get this back to us. Also thanks to Mana Liz and Judyblue for pre-reading this. We hope you all had a wonderful week!**

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**EPOV**

Everything is settling back into routine again, finally. Well, as long as I don't consider Bella signing up for the Academy. I've reluctantly agreed and left it up to her to decide for sure, but I pray daily she chooses not to go through with it. Either way, though, I'll support whatever she decides, even if it means I'll have to worry about her constantly.

Surprisingly, the chief is fond of the idea, if even a little proud of her. The day after she challenged me at the station, I went straight to his office to confront him for not discouraging her.

_I barged into his office without even a knock. "What the fuck, Chief?" I demanded as soon as I stormed in the door._

"_Hey, Cullen, nice to see you, too," he said sarcastically then pointed his finger to the seat across from him. "Now sit down and tell me what your problem is."_

_I huffed and reluctantly took a seat. "You mean you don't know? You basically handed Bella the tools she needed to become a cop! A cop! On the streets every day risking her life! How could you do that? Why didn't you try to discourage her any?"_

_He rocked back in his chair and eyed me speculatively for a moment. "You know, Cullen, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were hoping I'd be the bad guy. The one to tell her she can't do it." He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his desk. "But the thing is, I'm proud of her for considering it. We've just begun to build something and I'll be damned if I fuck it up over something that I'm not even opposed to. Like father, like daughter." He chuckled._

_I was so pissed that I could almost feel the steam coming from my ears. "Like father, like daughter!" I spewed, jumping from my seat to pace. "How can you be proud? She's going to be risking her life if she chooses this!" I gripped my hair in frustration._

_His hand slammed to his desk, bringing my pacing to a halt. "Sit the fuck down, Cullen," he bellowed. _

_I begrudgingly did as he instructed and sat there with a sour look on my face._

"_You listen here, boy." He pointed his finger at me. "I'm honored that my daughter wants to do something good with her life, make a difference. With the start she's had, we're lucky she's still alive, and if she wants to help others, then goddammit, she has my complete support." He calmed toward the end of his speech and sat back. "Now, I'm assuming you've given her your support, so suck it up and act like it and stop hoping other people will stand in her way."_

_I deflated with his words. "But, Chief—"_

"_Save it," he snapped. "If you intend to marry Bella, which seems to be the case, then you better quit sulking about things you can't change. And if I know Bella, this is one decision she'll make on her own."_

Obviously my argument didn't go over well and he made some good points, so all I can do is be there to answer her questions and make sure she has me every step of the way. I'll give her my full support but stay honest with her.

Since she shared her story with Charlie, he's like a man on a mission. He spends as much time with her as she'll allow and wants to make sure she knows he's there. Just last week, he finally asked her if he could look into Renee and Phil, and she granted him permission. I haven't heard anything yet, but I suspect any day he'll have the dirt on those lowlifes.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

In my office, I sort through the tips we've received on James' escape. Someone on the outside helped him and I have my guess as to who, and now we need to find the proof.

It has to be Aro Volturi. All this time we've thought James was the big criminal in this town, but the more pieces come together, the more my radar is screaming Aro. It fits perfectly. Look the part of the upstanding citizen and let a lowlife be the front man, all the while you run the show with no one the wiser.

Well, too bad for him, because I'm the wiser now.

A knock on my door pulls me from the documents I've been pouring over, and I lift my head to find Jasper tapping his watch. _Shit!_ We're supposed to meet Bella and Alice for lunch at Newton's.

I stand and grab my blazer. "Thanks, man. I was going over the tips for the escape. Guess I got lost for a few."

"Yeah, I know Aro had something to do with it," he says as we're walking out the door.

"Oh, no fucking doubt. Now we have to figure out how to beat him at his own game. I was hoping something would jump out at me, something we might've missed before," I say as I follow him into the parking lot.

"Let's take mine." He motions over to his car, and we head in that direction. "I'm hoping Marcus will get in touch again soon, but know I can't count on it. Hell, we can't even be sure he's still alive."

"Shit, man, you think Aro would kill his own brother?" I ask incredulously.

Jasper pulls out onto the street before glancing at me. "I don't know what he's capable of. If he found out we met with Marcus, yeah, I think he would."

I let out a low whistle. "Do we have any way to get in touch with him? An address? We can always act like we're bringing him in for questioning or something," I suggest.

Jasper sighs. "Yeah, maybe. I really think he can help put Aro away, but I also think he's afraid to talk against him."

"If what I'm thinking about Aro is right, then he has reason to be afraid."

Jasper nods, and we ride the rest of the way lost in our own thoughts.

When we pull into the lot, Alice's car is already taking up a space so we waste no time getting inside. We find the girls seated at our regular table, a plate of appetizers already in front of them.

As soon as Bella realizes we're here, she turns and stands, holding her arms for me to walk into. "Hey, baby." She places a kiss on my lips. "Sit, we've already ordered some wings."

She slides in the booth and I scoot in beside her, grabbing a wing right away. "Hey, Ali. You girls have a good morning?" I take a bite and prepare to listen to my sister rattle on about her line of clothes.

"Oh, Edward, you should've seen her. It's like my line of clothes were made specifically for Bella, they look so good. You're just going to love the pictures from the shoot. She's perfect, but I knew she would be," Alice rattles on.

Bella spent the morning with her doing an ad shoot for Alice's designs. Of course she looks perfect in the clothes; she looks good in everything and nothing at all. I continue munching away on wings and listen to Alice go on and on about the different outfits and poses they worked on today.

The waitress arrives, and Alice finally takes a breath so we can order. As soon as the waitress is gone, Alice launches right back in where she left off and Bella's pinches my thigh under the table. When I turn to her, she rolls her eyes and cocks her head in Alice's direction.

I give her a wink and curl my arm around her neck, pulling her closer to me. "Hi," I whisper into her ear, blowing as I go to pull away.

Chills run down her neck, and I want to follow them with my lips but restrain myself. She leans in to say her own words. "Don't play with fire, _Detective_. You'll only get burned."

Just hearing her husky voice makes my pants snug up. I lean close and press my lips to her for one second before pulling back and calling a truce with my eyes. "Later." I smirk.

She licks her lips and nods. "Definitel—"

"Oh, for Christ's sake," Alice breaks into our moment. "We're here to have lunch, not dessert."

Bella turns and raises a brow in Alice's direction. "Yeah? Well I'm sure our guys don't want to hear all about your clothes line or our shoot either."

"Touché," Alice agrees, and we move on to more general topics we all enjoy discussing.

We sit and eat and make plans to get together for a cookout sometime soon, an engagement party—one for our families and friends. And when we're done, we pay the bill and make our way out of Newton's, each couple hand in hand.

Bella's steps falter before we make it to Alice's car so I tighten my hold on her hand. "Whoa, baby. You okay?"

"Uh, yeah." She straightens and gives me a fake smile. "Just keep walking and don't look, but there's a man over there." She tilts her head toward a large tree at the edge of the parking lot. "It may be nothing, but he was also outside of Alice's shop this morning when we arrived."

I stiffen and have to fight to keep my eyes from sliding straight to him. "Are you sure?"

We continue walking to the car as if nothing's the matter, all the while carrying on this conversation. "Yes, I'm positive. Definitely the same guy."

I tighten my hold on her hand and smile. "Okay. Where are you going now?"

She glances in my direction and returns my smile. "Alice is dropping me off at the shelter. Why?"

I release the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Good, you'll be safe there." We reach the car, so I open the passenger side door and turn to her. "I want you to get in this car and go straight to the shelter. Nowhere else. Okay? I need to know you're safe." I reach over and pull her into my arms for a quick goodbye kiss.

She pulls away but stays close, looking into my eyes. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I want you away from here first. I love you, baby," I say and peck her lips once more.

She smiles. "Love you, and _please_, be careful."

I smirk. "Always am, and besides, Jasper's here too. We'll be okay."

I help her take her seat and close the door after she's inside. Jasper walks to my side, and we watch as our women pull from the lot.

"There's a guy over by that large tree on the edge of the lot," I mumble out of the side of my mouth. "He was outside Alice's shop this morning, too."

"Okay, what's the plan?" he asks back quietly as we still pretend to watch Alice and Bella pull away.

I throw up my hand once more in a wave and turn to Jasper, face lively. "Take him in?" I lift a brow.

He shakes his head in a joking manner. "On what charges?"

We pretend to be just talking shit as we make our way to his car. "Does it matter? He's following Bella. The least we can do is question him." I make sure he's still standing there before climbing into Jasper's car.

Once I'm in and the car's running, I turn to Jasper. "Pretend like we're pulling out and stop when we go to pass where he's standing."

"Can do, man, but what are we going to take him in on?" he asks.

I run my hand through my head. "Fuck, man. Loitering?" I chuckle, but this shit is so not funny. That's the most bullshit charge there is and I'll definitely be pushing it trying to arrest him for it.

Jasper shrugs. "That will work. Let's do this." He backs from our spot and starts heading out of the lot, right by where the man is standing.

When we go to pass him, Jasper slams on brakes and throws the car in park, jumping out, gun drawn. I jump out and run to his side, my gun at the ready also. The man freezes then takes off running.

_Fuck!_ I holster my gun and take off after him, Jasper right beside me.

He leads us down the road and through a back alley before cutting down another street. We're slowly gaining on him, but damn, the man can run. Finally, seeing our chance, we split off in hopes of cornering him. Jasper comes from one direction and me from another. The man, realizing he ran into a trap, takes a chance and tries to bulldoze past Jasper.

Just when I think Jasper is going to have him, a body comes from nowhere and slams into Jasper's side, knocking him onto the ground. "Go, run, run," Marcus yells to the man we've been chasing as he tries to hold Jasper down.

When I finally reach them, the man is too far away to give chase so I stop and assist Jasper in cuffing Marcus. "What the fuck, punk?"

"You have the right to remain silent …" Jasper begins reading his rights.

Marcus tilts his head in the direction the man ran off in while trying to convey something with his eyes. "Fuck you, cop," he says loudly.

I realize what he's doing then and play along. "Yeah, you're going to think fuck you when you're sitting behind bars with no bond." I give him an evil chuckle then place a call to the station requesting a car to pick him up.

Jasper snatches him up roughly, and we head toward the street to wait for the patrol car to arrive. We don't dare try to speak to him for fear that someone is watching. If he went through all of this just to get to talk with us, we can't fuck it up now.

After several minutes, the car pulls up, and when he opens the back door, Jasper shoves Marcus in a little rougher than necessary. "Throw the book at him. Obstruction, disorderly conduct, assault on an officer, and make sure to strip search him, too," Jasper instructs the officer a little louder than necessary.

"Got it, Detective," the officer replies, taking his seat behind the wheel and heading back to the precinct.

As we make our way back to Jasper's car, we discuss how surprising this turn of events is. We get into the car and make our way back to the station before they can do too much damage to Marcus.

A strip search wouldn't hurt … much. I chuckle to myself just thinking about it.

When we arrive back at the precinct, we make a beeline to where Marcus is being booked and have him moved into an interrogation room—without the strip search unfortunately.

"How do you want to handle this," I ask Jasper as we start for the interrogation room.

"This whole deal was so he could get to us. He's ready," Jasper states as fact.

"You really think it's going to be that easy though? This punk in shining armor comes to save the day and turn on his brother," I say incredulously.

Jasper reaches out and stops me before we enter the room. "Yeah, man, I do. Maybe not quite so poetic, but I think he wants our help."

I sigh and nod my head. "Okay, you take the lead and I'll try not to antagonize him … much."

Jasper chuckles and leads the way into the room.

Marcus immediately smirks at the sight of us. "Well, if it isn't the dynamic duo."

Jasper walks over and flips a chair backward and has a seat directly across from Marcus. "Cut the crap, Marcus. Either start talking or we'll let you get back to your strip search."

Marcus lays his hand over his heart. "You wound me. I go to all this trouble to get myself in here and this is how you treat me?"

"The way I see it is you're afraid of what's going to happen to you if you stay where you are, doing the things you're doing. You know we can help you get out of that mess, but only if you talk. So save us this cat and mouse game and tell us what you went to all this trouble for," Jasper says, his voice ice cold, uninterested.

Marcus sits silent after that, not saying a word, just looking down at the table.

"Look, punk, I know you don't want to hear this and especially from me, but your brother's bad. He's going down, and the question you need to ask yourself is which side you want to be on when that happens. We know he was responsible for James' escape"—Marcus' eyes snap to mine for the first time since I entered the room—"and we're pretty sure he's responsible for all the drugs hitting the streets." I lean across the table, holding his stare. "Either you're with him or you're with us."

He breaks the hold I have on him and lets his eyes wander around the room for a minute, maybe seeing his future right here in this jail. He'll be lucky if that's all it would be. Somehow I don't think he'd live if he chooses wrong right now.

Still looking at the far wall, he starts talking. "You know that guy? The one I let free and took his place today? He's one of Aro's new lackeys. A pair of them blew into town a couple months back. One minute I've never seen them and now all of a sudden, I'm taking orders. All my brother cares about is the money, while those guys"—he snorts and meets my eyes—"those guys came out of nowhere and suddenly James is getting free again. Then, when that doesn't work, one of them orders the other to stalk the prostitute."

I immediately tense up. "What about the prostitute," I grit out, barely able to contain myself. It's one thing to think someone was following Bella, but to hear it confirmed is quite another.

"I don't know why," Marcus says, holding his hands up all innocent and shit. "I just know that he seems to want to avenge James somehow. Dude was pissed when he found out James had been killed. Like, went on a rage and shit, got drunk and destroyed the hotel room he was staying in. Aro had to pay the place off to keep them from calling the cops."

"What's his name?" Jasper asks.

"Which one?" Marcus asks.

"Both of them," Jasper and I both answer.

"Well the one who seems to be calling the shots between the two is named Phil. The one you were chasing is Alec," Marcus answers.

"Last names?" I demand.

"Ah, fuck, old man. I can't remember right this minute. I think they have the same last name, maybe even brothers. I've heard Aro say it before, but mostly he tries to hide shit from me. Do as I'm told, he says. Don't ask questions, he says," Marcus finishes in a whiney girl voice to imitate Aro's words.

"Well what can you tell us then?" Jasper asks. "You came to us for a reason. No time like the present."

"There's a big shipment coming in. Remember that warehouse we met at?" He looks between Jasper and me.

"Yeah, we remember it," Jasper tells him.

"Midnight Saturday," he says with a nod, seemingly pleased with himself.

I cross my arms over my chest. "That's it? You went through all this trouble to tell us about a shipment? How are we supposed to trust you aren't trying to set us up?"

"Pfft, come on, old man, give me some credit. And besides, I'm counting on that forty-eight-hour hold keeping me nice and snug until this is all over with." He leans back and props his arms behind his head with a smug expression on his face.

"And what makes you think we're willing to deal over a measly drug charge?" I ask, hoping to wipe his smugness away.

It doesn't work, he only looks smugger. "I guess you don't know as much as you think you do. If you knew the heights of Aro's drug empire, you'd be chomping at the bit to make this bust."

"Why don't you enlighten us then?" Jaspers says. "Or we can cut you loose right now and you'll have to try and explain why you're out so easily to your brother."

My own smirk forms at Jasper playing hardball.

"You wouldn't," Marcus claims, his smugness now wiped from his face.

"I think you know I would." Jasper jabs his finger into the table for punctuation. "Now tell us about the shipment."

"It's coke, man. Lots of it."

"How much?" Jasper grits.

"Five mil worth."

Jasper and I both are shocked for a minute. What in the hell would Aro do with five million dollars' worth of coke? Especially in the small town of Forks.

"Ah, I see the wheels turning," Marcus patronizes. "Is the picture becoming clearer now?"

Jasper leans over right in Marcus' face, his voice deadly. "Make it clear … now!"

"Did you really think being a drug dealer to this tiny fuck of a town was going to be enough for Aro Volturi? No, that's what he let James control and allowed me to dabble in. That isn't even worth his time. Aro's more interested in moving larger quantities."

"So he let James run rampant here, all the while he was using Forks to traffic large amounts of drugs," I muse to myself, talking aloud. "No wonder he tried to get James off. With him in prison, he doesn't have someone to take the heat off him."

Marcus snorts. "No, he got himself a couple new flunkies now."

I chuckle. "You sound bitter." I step closer and lean on the table. "Is that what this is all about, Marcus? Were you hoping to take James' place and now you're not? Aro doesn't trust you and lets some new guys breeze into town and take over where you were supposed to be."

"Whatever, old man. Are you gonna arrest him or not?" Marcus asks, completely avoiding my deduction.

Just that moment, Emmett peeks his head into the room. "Hey, guys. Aro just arrived and he's claiming lawyer privileges. What do you want me to tell him?"

Jasper stands and starts for the door. "Let him know that the younger Volturi will be held for forty-eight hours, but if he'd like to speak with his client, he's free to do so now."

Marcus' face turns pale before I smirk at him and follow Jasper out the door, leaving Emmett behind to make sure he makes it safely to his cell.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Later that night, at home with my soon-to-be wife, the talk with Marcus still nags on my mind. There's no doubt we'll be there to take him down, but it just feels like I'm missing something.

Something big.

Why would a couple of nobodies come into town and care about James so much that even now that he's dead, they're willing to mess with Bella? That doesn't make sense to me.

"Hey, baby," my beautiful girl says, fresh from her shower, as she takes her place on my lap in front of the TV.

I pull her close and seek out her lips. "Mmm, you're a sight for sore eyes," I tell her after a searing kiss.

"Long day?" she asks.

"You could say that," I tell her, rubbing my hand up her bare thigh.

"Whatever happened with stalker guy?" she asks, and I freeze.

"You know I can't give you details." I bury my nose in her neck, breathing in her luscious scent, letting my fingers slide even higher.

She moans and tilts her head, giving me better access. "It was me he was following. You'd think I could get some information. Did you catch him? Does he have a name? Is he in jail?"

I sigh and pull my head back so I can see her face. "I didn't catch him exactly, but someone else. He does have a name, and no, he's not in jail, not yet. Baby, you know I'm going to take care of you, right?"

She leans forward, her breath fanning my face. "I know you will." Her lips latch onto mine and they're full of passion and fire. When she pulls back and speaks this time, it's with a husky voice. "Right now, there are other parts of me that need taking care of."

I stand with her in my arms and take her to our room, where I make sure to take care of her every need, over and over and over.

* * *

**It seems like Marcus is finally willing to help take his brother down. Is he for real or is it a trap? **

**We'll be right back with Edward POV next chapter ;)**


	23. The Complete Puzzle

**Sorry for the couple days late with this post, but our wonderful beta worked hard to get it back to us as fast as possible. Thanks kitch! Also, thanks Mana for prereading for us.**

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**EPOV**

"All right, men. Any suggestions?" I ask my team.

We're in the middle of a meeting to discuss how we intend to proceed with the takedown of Aro Volturi tomorrow night. To make this stick, we'll need an ironclad plan and that's the focus right now. I want all ideas heard and in the open so we can go in with the best plan possible in place.

"Do you think it would be best if we set up long before the delivery time?" Emmett asks.

"I think if we do that, then we run the risk of him having eyes on the place," Jasper speaks up, answering his question.

"Yeah." I nod along. "As long as we catch Aro and the coke in the same place, then we've bagged ourselves a criminal."

"Cullen," the chief barks from the doorway.

"Sir?"

"I need a word." His posture is stiff, his tone menacing.

"Sure," I respond and turn to Jasper. "Continue this and you can fill me in later. I trust you to handle it. You know what needs to happen."

With a curt nod, he turns and addresses the room while I slink away to see what's up the chief's ass.

When I arrive at his door, I don't bother knocking. I go inside and take a seat across from him, waiting on him to talk.

When he meets my eyes, there's no doubt whatever he has to say is going to be bad. "Cullen." He sighs.

I swallow and wait for him to continue.

"I've checked into Renee and Phil, and it's not good."

"Not good as in …" I prod.

"Renee is dead."

When he doesn't say anything more, I push for information. "Dead? Did he kill her?"

He wipes his hand down over his mustache and rocks back in his chair. "Not technically, no. Although I'm sure that her marriage to such a sick bastard is what drove her to drink and that's what ultimately killed her."

"Alcohol killed her? A car accident?" I ask, my curiosity peaked.

His lip curls, and he stares off out the window for a minute before finally looking back at me. "No, not an accident. She died in her sleep. Choked on her own vomit after passing out drunk."

"I see," I muse, almost feeling sorry for the woman. Choking on your own vomit is a terrible way to die. "Was there no chance Phil had anything to do with it?"

Taking a deep breath and blowing it out just as hard, Charlie replies, "No, the fucker was out of town when it happened. Solid tight alibi."

My thoughts jump to Bella, and I have to wonder what she's going to feel when she gets this news. Will she be sad? Angry? Not care? I'll just have to be prepared to be there for her no matter how she reacts.

"Are you ready to tell Bella?"

He meets my eyes, and there's more. It's written all over his face. "Son, the thing is …" He trails off.

"Just say it, Charlie. Quit pussyfooting around!" I demand.

"Phil is missing."

My whole body tenses. "What do you mean missing?"

He leans forward and props his elbows on his desk, meeting my eyes dead on. "After Renee's death, he sold the house and disappeared."

"Disappeared? Just like that?" I throw my hands up, already frustrated with this conversation.

"I've searched everything at my disposal and wasn't able to locate anything after he left Phoenix. It's like he went off the grid." Charlie's torn up over this and probably worried for his daughter, but Phil will never touch my Bella.

Phil?

Oh my fuck!

I quickly jump to my feet. "Chief, you got a picture of Phil?"

His brows furrow, but he slowly starts to nod. "Yeah, what's going on?"

I start for the door. "No time to explain. Get that picture and meet me in the interrogation room as fast as you can."

I take off down the hall, making my way to the cells as fast as I possibly can. As soon as I arrive, I have the jailer pull Marcus from his cell. "Come on, punk. You just might be helpful after all."

"Hey, old man. Where are ya taking me?" he asks as we start down the hall.

"I have a job for you." I smirk and lead him to the interrogation room where Charlie Swan is pacing with a picture in his hand.

After getting Marcus settled in at the table, I turn to Charlie. "Show him the picture."

Charlie's eyes Marcus, but he walks over to join us anyway. "What's this guy have to do with Phil? Isn't he Volturi's brother?"

I nod. "He is," I concur. "But I think he's seen Phil. Now I just need confirmation. Show him the picture."

Charlie hesitantly holds the picture out then lays it on the table in front of Marcus. "Does this man look familiar to you?"

Marcus stares at the picture and says nothing.

I lean across the table, pointing to the picture. "Is this the Phil you mentioned?"

Marcus' eyes lift up to meet mine, and he gives me a firm nod. "It is, but I don't understand. How …"

I grip my hair in both hands and pace around, trying to comprehend this new information. That piece of shit has made his way to Forks and is trying to get to Bella. It all makes a little more sense now. James must've contacted him at some point looking for an ally. What could he have possibly promised Phil to get him here?

"Edward." Charlie's voice breaks into my chaotic thoughts. "Why don't you tell me what the fuck is going on here!"

I sigh and flop down in the chair across from Marcus. Both men are staring at me, Marcus confused, Charlie confused, too, but also pissed. He understands this is big, and not in a good way.

"Fuck!" I smack my hand on the table. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Charlie steps over and stops my little tirade with a big meaty hand covering mine. "Cullen, you'd better start talking. Now!"

"It seems Phil is in Forks, Chief. He's working with Aro." I take a deep breath and say the worst part. "Apparently he has a partner, and that guy, Alec, was trailing Bella yesterday."

"What!" Charlie explodes. "You're telling me that someone was following Bella and I'm just now hearing about it!"

I stand up and face him. "I took care of it. I had no idea that it had anything to do with Phil."

He starts poking me in the chest. "You took care of it! Well, obviously you didn't if the guy is still on the streets. Why didn't I hear about it? That's what I need to know. Why in the fuck would you not tell me someone was following Bella?"

I hold up my hands, trying to placate the roaring bear in front of me. "Look, Chief. Bella's safe, the bust is being planned as we speak and those fuckers are going down. Now, I probably should've told you about the guy tailing Bella, but she's safe. I promise you, she's safe."

He crosses his arms over his chest. "Oh yeah? Is she hidden somewhere they don't know about? Is she away from Forks where that despicable human being can't get his hands on her? Or is she just at home, _unprotected_?"

"No!" I answer, eyes wide. "No way is she at home. I dropped her at the shelter this morning on my way in."

He snorts. "The shelter. That's where you think she's safe? The same place a couple thugs broke into and tried to get her before?" He turns to march from the room.

"Hold up, Chief. What are you doing?" I yell, stopping his progress.

He freezes and glances back at me. "I'm going to get my daughter."

Marcus' raucous laughter snaps me from staring where the chief was just standing. "What the fuck are you laughing at?" I snarl.

"The prostitute is the chief's daughter," he chokes out between bouts of laughter. "You're fucking the chief's daughter?" He's slapping his knee, but I don't see anything funny.

I walk to the other side of the table and snatch his punk ass up by his prison suit collar. "I'm not fucking the chief's daughter, you fucking punk. That's my soon to be wife, so you'd better watch your fucking mouth!"

He sobers up instantly and clears his throat. "Um, sorry." I drop him back to his seat and stomp away. He sighs and props his cuffed hands on the table. "Look, man. I don't know exactly what's going on here, but I know that if you take down Aro, Phil will be there. You can bowl a strike. Don't let whatever bullshit past happened cloud your vision. Take them down. All of them."

Pushing out a big gust of air, I take the seat across from him. "Oh, they're going down, there's no doubt." I study him for a moment before I choose my next words. "Tell me, Marcus. What's in this for you? Seriously? Are you going to get back on the streets trying to run the same games? Or can I expect more from you? Can I expect you to take this opportunity we're offering up on a silver platter and run with it?"

"Honestly?" He looks at me with a sobering expression. "I haven't thought that far ahead." He sighs and looks down at the table. "I just know I'm tired of the way my life has been going. I need a change, a fresh start. I'd like to think I can go legit, do the right thing, but you don't understand, man. It's hard when you don't know any other way."

"Look at me, Marcus," I demand. When his eyes meet mine, I give him something to consider. "Let me tell you a little something about my Bella. She was a lot like you. Doing whatever it took to survive in a world that treated her like shit. But she did and she's thriving now. If she could do it, so can you." I lean even closer. "If you seriously try, I'll help. Whether it's with a job or a decent place to crash, if you're serious and stay on the straight and narrow, I'll help."

"You're serious?" he asks, brows lifted. At my nod, he looks back down to the table. "I, um … I don't know what to say."

"Simple, you say yes," I tell him.

"Yes," he says quietly, eyes still downcast.

"Good." I stand, ready to start for the door. "I'll send someone to take you back shortly. Make sure you really think this through, because I won't hesitate to throw your ass in the slammer if you fuck up."

He nods. "Okay, I will."

As soon as the door closes behind me, I pull out my cell, hitting Bella's number.

"Hey, baby," she answers right away. "What's going on?" Her voice is soft, confused.

I blow out a breath. "Where are you?"

"In the car with Charlie on the way to the precinct."

My shoulders slump in relief. "Good. How long 'til you're here?"

"Maybe five minutes," she answers. "Are you going to tell me what the hell's going on?"

"As soon as you arrive, baby, promise. See you soon," I say and hang up, not waiting for a reply.

Hurrying, I make my way back to the meeting. When I enter, only Jasper and Emmett are left. "Did you get a solid plan together?"

"Yeah, it's a good one. What did the chief want? He looked pissed," Emmett observes.

I lean against the wall and cross my arms. "You guys aren't going to believe this." I look to Jasper. "You know Phil and Alec?" At his nod I continue. "Well Phil is Phil Dwyer, Bella's stepdad."

"What the fuck!" Emmett tenses.

"You're serious?" Jasper asks.

"As a fucking heart attack. That's why this bust has to go down perfectly. No mistakes, we have to get them all. None of them go free." My expression is hard and serious.

"For Bella," Emmett declares with a nod.

Jasper follows suit. "Two birds with one stone."

"I'm going down to meet her in the chief's office. I want everyone here at ten a.m. in the morning to go over the plan one more time," I state directly to Jasper.

"You got it, and let me know if we get any new information."

"Will do." I turn and start toward Charlie's office.

Before I even make it to his door, I spot Bella heading my way from the other end of the hall. I stop and wait while she speeds up and flies straight into my arms. Over her shoulder, a scowling Charlie is standing with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Baby, what's going on?" she asks into my ear. "I had to leave the shelter immediately. Charlie said it wasn't safe."

I sigh and squeeze her tighter to me. "Charlie and I will explain everything." I pull her back to face me. "But, I don't think you're going to like it, so prepare yourself."

Her head tilts to the side, studying my expression. "No, I'm not." She takes a deep breath. "Let's get it over with then. Is this about that guy?"

I close my eyes for a second. The simple answer is yes, but it's not that simple. I'm about to turn something like a man following her into one of her worst fears.

Phil.

And he's here for her.

When I open them again, I curl her under my arm and start guiding her into the chief's office. "Baby, it is. But it's more than that, so much more. Just stay calm, okay?"

"Edward, you're scaring me."

"Don't be. See that man back there?" I point back at Charlie. "He and I are going to keep you safe. I promise."

Her shoulders sag after looking at Charlie. "I know you will."

I kiss the side of her head. "Good."

After we're seated and no one has yet to speak, Bella finally finds her voice. "Someone needs to tell me what the fuck is going on right this minute. First you pull me from work at the shelter with no explanation, then we get here and still nothing." She looks to me first, then Charlie. "Somebody better start talking. Now!"

Even though the situation is serious, I still find it in me to smirk at the chief. Maybe he didn't think this through so well after all.

Charlie buries his face in his hand, rubbing his forehead for a second before finally meeting Bella's eyes. "I have some news I want to share first, before we get to what's wrong right now. Okay? I don't know what your reaction will be, but just in case, know that I'd never intentionally hurt you."

"Okay," Bella answers dragging out the word, clearly annoyed.

Charlie takes a deep breath. "Bella, Renee is dead," he blurts.

Bella crosses her arms and raises a brow. "How?"

"She … she, um … suffocated on her vomit after passing out drunk," he says, his face remorseful.

The room is draped in silence as Bella considers this new information. After a beat, she bursts out laughing. "And you think this bothers me?"

I reach over and put my arm around her shoulders. "She was your mom."

She snaps her eyes to mine. "No, don't call her that." She looks down to the desk in front of us. "There was a time, long, long ago, that she was my mother, but I can barely remember it." She looks back between Charlie and me. "On paper only. Hell, I can barely remember a time when she was ever actually that. She was my caretaker, then closer to an acquaintance and roommate before meeting Phil."

She takes a deep breath, looking at us both. "After she brought him into our lives, she became a stranger who stood by while I was hurt. Yes, the alcohol may have been a factor, but she made the choices that led to everything, and she could've chosen to change her life, our life, for the better. She chose not to. That's on her. As far as I'm concerned, my mother died the day I left when she refused to help me."

My heart breaks for her in this moment, so I pull her into my embrace. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, baby, to feel that way. But you have to know it had nothing to do with you and everything to do with her, right?"

She chuckles in that not so funny way. "I know that, I really do, but it doesn't make it any easier. I accepted things long ago, though. Nothing said today about her can hurt me."

Charlie's expression can only be described as broken. He's a broken man, burning for the hurt his daughter has faced. "Bella," he croaks.

She starts shaking her head as she turns to him. "No, Charlie. This has nothing to do with you. Like Edward said, it was all her. She did this to us, she hurt us both, and I hate her even more for it. She can burn in hell for all I care." The vehemence in her tone even makes me flinch.

Charlie clears his throat then, ready to move the conversation to a more current topic. "Okay, Bella, I can understand that and respect your feelings." He leans back in his chair, but keeps his eyes on her. "So let's talk about that other thing. The reason you're here."

"Yes, let's," she agrees.

"Baby," I start, bringing her eyes to me. "Remember that man who was following you? His name was Alec, and we've found out some things."

She waves her hand for me to continue.

"He showed up here a couple months ago with a partner, and they're the ones who broke James free from prison." Her brows lift, but she still doesn't speak, so I continue. "Now, I don't want you to worry when I say this because you know we're going to keep you safe, right?"

She nods, not exactly sure what we're going to keep her safe from yet.

I finally suck up my courage and just spit it out. "His partner's name is Phil."

"Phil?" she repeats, already ready to deny what she's expecting me to say.

"Yes, baby. Phil Dwyer."

She immediately starts shaking her head. "No, Phil wouldn't worry with me all these years later. That's impossible."

I reach over and pull her to me, holding her tight. "He is, baby, but you have nothing to worry about. We're already planning a sting. Tomorrow night, we'll take them all in. They'll be behind bars and you'll never have to worry about anyone again."

She gasps into my chest and pulls back swiftly. "Alec."

"Yes, Alec is the guy who was following you," I confirm.

"Phil had a half-brother whose name was Alec. I never met him, but he was in the military, or so he said," she explains.

Charlie jumps into action, picking up the phone and barking orders into the receiver. When he's done, he slaps it back on the handle. "Already on it, but, Bella, this changes nothing. We already had a plan to take this whole ring down. This changes none of that. No one is going to come near you. I need you to stay here until Edward and I leave today, and I'd like if you two would stay at my place tonight." At my nod, he continues. "Then in the morning it's back here for the day, but I promise, it'll all be over tomorrow night."

Bella sits quietly absorbing and pondering, and I let her. She needs time to process the information we've just handed her.

She reaches over and takes my hand, holding it tightly between hers before looking to Charlie first. "Okay. We can do that. I can do that. I know that you guys will take care of me and make sure he never gets near me, but"—she looks back and forth between us—"you have to _promise_ me that you'll _both_ come back to me. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to either of you."

After both of our assurances, Bella finally accepts the plan. Having an agreement on how to keep her safe, we escort her to the break room and get back to work.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The next night finds myself and the team suiting up, and while Charlie wasn't originally a part of the plan, he's now inserted himself and basically taken over, but that's okay. Charlie's a smart man and good at his job. I'll follow him into battle any day.

With armor on and guns at the ready, the team makes their way to the warehouse district as inconspicuously as possible. A couple blocks away from our target, we leave the cars behind. This is a silent mission and we have no way of knowing exactly what to expect from the person delivering the drugs.

Splitting up, we all surround the warehouse as quietly as possible. There's light drifting through the cracks between the aluminum and several cars parked outside. On Charlie's mark, the team bursts through every opening.

Men start scattering in every direction.

While the team goes after them, Charlie, Jasper and I zero in on Aro and his two flunkies. There's another man standing with him, a briefcase open between them, white reflecting from inside. They tense when they realize the situation, and gunshots erupt in the vast space around us.

Before they can run, guns are pointed in their direction and Aro barks out an evil laugh, completely unaffected by what he's facing. In the blink of an eye, he has a gun to Phil's head and his body in front of him.

Alec notices and lurches for his brother, causing Aro's gun to go off.

Brains litter the dusty concrete floor.

Phil's lifeless body is knocked to the side from the force of Alec's body hitting Aro's. They land in a heap of fists on the floor as Alec pummels Aro over and over. Blood spatters on clothes and screams echo throughout the room.

Neither Charlie, Jasper nor I move forward. We all just stand and watch the scene before us as Emmett collects the briefcase of coke and leads the drug runner from the building. Men are being cuffed and detained all around us, but we stay still, watching as Alec beats Aro within an inch of his life.

In a last ditch attempt, Aro stretches his arm out for a gun lying haphazardly beside him. As soon as he grabs it, my gun comes to the ready.

"Drop it," I yell, taking aim.

Alec notices and grabs for the gun. In the struggle, the gun fires and so do I.

Two bodies are left bleeding on the floor, one slumped over the other.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

When we enter the station, a petite body slams into me before I can fully make it in the door. I pull her to me and inhale the scent of her flowing from her hair.

"He's dead, baby," I breathe in her ear.

She shudders against me as she releases the pent up tears built from worry over the two men in her life. When she pulls back, she places a passionate kiss on my lips.

Sliding her down to the floor, I take her face in my hands, wiping her tears. "It's over, baby."

She smiles a breathtaking smile and looks past me to where Charlie is waiting. Running to him, she jumps in his arms the same as she did me.

I can only smile fondly as I watch the love of my life connect with her father.

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**I think we can safely say that all threats to Bella have been eliminated. Only 3 more chapters left. **

**Have you checked out the Age of Edward entries? Go, run!**

**We'll get the next one to you as timely as possible, the holidays are hectic. We hope everyone has a wonderful time filled with family and love. **


	24. Settling Down

AN: As always thanks to Mana for pre-reading and to kitchmill for her stellar beta skills- especially considering what a mess this chapter was. Without them you guys would see what a disaster I really am. Lol

* * *

**BPOV**

"Emmett McCarty, if you touch one more thing I'm going to kick your ass."

I can't help but laugh as I hear Rose yelling at Em, again, for trying to sneak a taste of the food.

They're both here helping Edward and me set up for our barbecue/engagement party. Edward and Emmett are supposed to be setting up chairs and tables while Rose and I finish up the side dishes and desserts we made. Of course Emmett being Emmett keeps making his way over to the food.

Now that James and Phil are dead and Aro's drug ring has been taken out, we've all been able to relax for the first time in … well longer than I can remember.

Deciding it's a perfect time to finally truly celebrate our engagement, we planned this gathering. Everyone close to us knows, but there are still people, mostly ones that Edward and Charlie work with, who have no idea we've decided to get married. After today, it will definitely be public knowledge.

We aren't interested in having some fancy get together, much to Esme's chagrin, so we've gone with our original idea of a barbecue. We want something fun and comfortable.

I'm putting out the condiments when arms wrap around my waist. "You better watch it, mister. My fiancé is around here somewhere."

"I'm not scared of him. I hear the guy's a pussy." Edward rubs his stubbly face against my neck, making me squirm.

Laughing, I turn to face my man. His eyes are brighter than I've seen them in a long time. "He may be pussy-whipped, but he's no pussy. Trust me. He's all man."

The lines around those beautiful eyes crinkle as he laughs. "Is that right?" Leaning down, he kisses me. Right as his tongue makes its delicious way into my mouth, Em has to open his big mouth.

"Knock it off, you two. I don't want to see that shit."

I reluctantly pull away and turn to the giant pain in my ass. "Then I suggest you close your fucking eyes, and get the hell out of here."

He holds his hands up and starts to turn around, but I can't keep a straight face anymore and burst out laughing. "You should've seen your face."

"You're so mean. Are you sure you want to marry her?" The humor is clear on his face, so I know he's only kidding.

Edward pulls me closer to him. "Even if she can be an evil nymph, I'm definitely going to marry her."

That earns him a kiss and an elbow to the gut.

We all joke around a bit more while we finish up. We've still got close to thirty minutes before people are set to arrive when Charlie makes his way in.

We've been spending more time together and he's a regular at our dinner table at least two nights a week now.

He makes his way straight to where Edward and I are standing. "Hey, Bella, Edward."

I get a hug, and Edward gets a handshake. "Would you like a beer?" Since he's a fan of Vitamin R, I always make sure we keep some on hand.

"That would be great. Thanks."

I go to grab him one, and as I head back Alice and Jasper arrive. More hugs and handshakes are exchanged. Before long other people start filtering in: several people from the department, family friends of Carlisle and Esme, various other friends and acquaintances plus all the women from the shelter.

I'm especially excited to see Maggie here. Since our talk she's started coming out of her shell more. She actually hangs out with the other women and has even started one on one sessions with Dr. McGregor. It's a wonderful thing to see her blossom.

As I talk to Kate and Maggie, movement catches my attention from the corner of the yard. A younger guy looks around, hesitating to come any further. He's handsome enough, and I immediately know who he is.

Excusing myself, I head over to where Edward is greeting some friends of his parents and grab his attention. "Honey, I'm pretty sure Marcus just walked in." I point over to where the man is pacing right inside the yard and looks to be mumbling to himself.

Edward twines our fingers and leads me over to meet him.

When we were planning this gathering, we discussed Edward's desire to invite Marcus. Edward feels like he can help him turn his life around. Apparently Marcus hasn't ever had a good role model, and of course with a brother like Aro it's not surprising he turned to drugs. He's made poor choices in life, which I can relate to all too well. He also chose to help the police against his own family, and Edward really feels Marcus can make something of his life with the right support and motivation.

I understand Edward's desire to help, and I can't be upset about it at all. Especially being on the receiving end of his help myself. I can only say that Marcus is very lucky to have Edward in his corner. That doesn't mean I won't be keeping an eye on him and happily chop his balls off if he hurts Edward or anyone else I love.

"Marcus, glad you could make it. This is my fiancée Bella." Edward reaches out to shake his hand, but the guy ignores him while staring at me.

"Dude, she's hot. How did an old guy like you manage to land her?"

He really shouldn't have said that.

I know Marcus' type too well. He likes to run his mouth, to come across as tough, trying to cover his nerves. I understand it, but I won't put up with it. Plus, no one talks to my man that way.

"Look, Marcus, Edward invited you in good faith. He seems to think you're a good guy. But do not shit on his hospitality or disrespect him at his own home. If you do, I'll find a rusty knife for your balls. Got it?"

Edward wraps his arms around me. "Easy, killer. No need to start threatening his manhood." He smirks.

Marcus' eyes are wide and his face is pale. "I'm sorry, man. Sorry, ma'am. I'll keep my mouth shut." He actually moves one of his hands to cover his dick.

Pussy.

I roll my eyes but let it go since he apologizes. "My name is Bella. Don't call me ma'am. We're probably the same age. Now if you're staying, come on in. We have soda and we'll be firing up the grill soon."

Edward, who finds the whole thing more amusing than anything, gives me a quick kiss before motioning for Marcus to follow him. "Come on, punk."

And with that Edward takes Marcus over to the horseshoe set up, and soon they are joined by several other men and appear to have quite the competition brewing. If they only knew that Edward has been practicing all week just to be sure he could whip ass at that game. _Men._

A while later I head inside along with Rose and Alice to grab all the meat while Edward and some of the guys get the grills hot. Naturally, talk comes around to the wedding. Nearly every conversation seems to lately.

"So, have you and Edward decided anything yet?" Alice asks the same question I'm getting sick of hearing.

"Nope. We haven't made any decisions since I talked to you yesterday."

"Don't get huffy with me. You need to start planning. Some venues require booking months in advance." In some ways she's definitely her mother's daughter. I've been hearing this exact same shit from Esme.

"I know this. And we'll figure things out. Life is just starting to settle down, so I really wish you would all just give us some time to relax and enjoy _being_ for a while." The truth is, all the venues and flower talk and color choices fills me with anxiety every time I even try to think about it all, so I've just avoided it. Edward, being the amazing man he is, follows my lead.

"Do you at least have an idea of a date?"

For someone so small, she can be a huge pain in the ass. "No. Hell, we may decide to hit up City Hall tomorrow. You never know." Even though I'm only saying it to mess with her, the idea does have some appeal.

"Bella, you're going to give poor Alice a heart attack. Don't tease her. You and Edward really do need to start making plans. At least a date and location." Rose was all about planning before I had to go into hiding, but lately she's been fairly silent.

I need to make some time to hang out just the two of us. Something's going on with her, though I haven't figured out what yet.

They mean well, and I am ready to marry the man, so I concede. "Fine. I promise to talk to Edward and start nailing down specifics tonight. Happy now?"

Rose just smiles while Alice bounces around. Sometimes I really think she's on crack, but Edward swears she's been like this since she was young.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The barbecue goes well. The food is all gone, people have gone home and the mess has been cleaned. Everyone has handled the news of our engagement well and we've had nothing but congratulations.

Now that everyone officially knows we're engaged, it really is time to start making plans. There's no time like the present, so I hop up on the bathroom counter as Edward gets ready for bed.

"Did you have a good time today, baby?" he asks as he rinses his toothbrush.

"I did. I think everyone else did too. Even your mom seemed to be relaxing and enjoying herself. I know it wasn't what she wanted for an engagement party, but I love that she didn't give us too hard of a time about it."

He smirks and uses his free hand to rub my knee. "I know she's been a bit much, but really she just wants us to be happy. She obviously has her ideas about the wedding, but she won't push them on us"—at my raised brow he quickly amends that statement—"much."

I place my hand over his and move it a little higher. "She's actually been okay. A little annoying, but not too bad. I know we need to start making firm plans. I actually promised Alice we'd finally set a date. Do you have any ideas?"

"The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. Do you have any ideas? Most girls have dreamed of their weddings. I know Ali did. What did you dream of?" His hand inches the smallest bit higher as he asks.

"I can't say I really ever dreamed of my wedding day. At least nothing specific that I can remember. I teased Alice and told her we may just go to City Hall. I thought she was going to keel over right there." I spread my legs slightly in the hopes that he'll take it as an invitation.

"I'd take you there tomorrow, but you deserve better." Finally his fingers make their way right to the edge of my panties.

"Well your mom left some brochures of different venues, but they all have waiting lists. And to be honest, I don't want some society wedding. The whole idea of picking flowers and colors and linens, well it freaks me the fuck out. I would rather have something small … intimate. I guess if I really could picture my wedding, I see it as something simple but beautiful. Maybe bare feet, no tuxes or huge dresses. No stuffy venues and only close friends and family. That would be perfect to me."

"That does sound perfect. And if that's what my lady wants, that's what we'll have. We'll figure out what's right for us and we'll do it as soon as possible."

Before I can respond, his lips descend onto mine and his fingers slip under the lace and finally make contact where I'm wet for him.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The following weekend finds Edward and me, along with Jasper and Alice, sitting around Rose and Emmett's table. Rose invited us all for dinner saying they have important news.

We make it through the meal without any reveals, so I'm not surprised that after helping Rose clear the table and placing out desert, Alice finally snaps. Not that anyone blames her. We're all anxious to know why we were invited over. "Okay I can't take it anymore. What's your news?"

Emmett takes Rose's hand and they share a tender look before turning to us. "We're going to have a baby. Rosie is pregnant."

I'm up and out of my seat. "I'm so happy for you both." I drop down in front of them, throwing my arms around them both, which isn't easy considering what a bear Em is. "You're going to be the best mommy and daddy ever." I don't even realize I have tears flowing until I'm back in my seat and Edward leans over to wipe them away.

Alice is unnaturally quiet, and I can only guess how this news is for her. She has tears too. My heart aches for her. But before I can worry too much, she breaks into a beautiful smile. "That's really great news, guys. I'm so happy for you."

Jasper scoots his chair a little closer and puts his arm around her.

Edward watches her curiously. It's time she finally tells him her secret.

Alice reaches up to wipe her glassy eyes and something catches my eye. I can't believe I haven't noticed this all night. "Alice, what the fuck is that on your finger?"

Everyone's eyes immediately zone in on her hand. She's uncharacteristically silent.

"Jasper, what the hell is that on my baby sister's finger? Did you propose?" Edward says, practically growling.

Jasper swallows before firming up his shoulders. "I did, and I'm a lucky man because she accepted."

Edward glares at him for a moment before breaking into a grin. "Congratulations. I'm happy for you guys." He leans across the table and offers Jasper a handshake. "Ali, I'm so happy for you," Edward tells his sister.

She's up and next to him in seconds, flinging herself into his lap and hugging him. They whisper back and forth for a minute before Alice makes her way back to her own seat.

Emmett claps loudly and eyes dessert. "Okay. Enough with the sappy shit. Let's eat this awesome cake Bella and my wife made."

We all laugh and begin passing plates around.

After dinner, the guys head to Emmett's man cave while Rose, Alice and I move into the living room.

"How far along are you?" I ask Rose.

"Thirteen weeks. I've been wanting to tell you guys so much, but we wanted to wait until I was through the first trimester. I've been so nervous and happy and scared and just everything ... I can't even tell you. It's just been a crazy time, but I'm so glad I can finally share it with you both." She turns to Alice. "Are you okay with this? I don't want you to ever feel uncomfortable."

Alice takes her hand. "I am so happy for you and Em. I will always feel a little sad about everything that happened, but I'm okay. I did talk to Jasper and he's been so understanding. We've agreed if we can't have children naturally, there are so many out there that need good homes when we're ready."

I reach over and put my hand on top of theirs. "I'm glad you talked to Jasper. He's right about there being a lot of children in need of a good home and a loving family, which you two would provide in spades. I hate to point this out, but, Alice, you still need to talk to your brother. He's very perceptive and he's going to have picked up on something."

She takes a deep breath. "You're right. It's past time to tell him. I'll do it. Not tonight since it's a time for celebrating, but soon. I promise."

I lean over and hug her. "Okay. If you want me there with you, just let me know."

"Thanks. I'll let you know. Now, speaking of promises ... did you guys pick a date? You said you would talk to Edward."

"We did talk, but haven't set a firm date. We do know we want to do it soon. We also discussed what type of wedding we want. Now we just need to figure out how to make those ideas happen," I tell them.

They both sit back and put their game faces on. Alice even pulls out a pen and notebook from her purse. _Uh oh._

"What did you two decide you want?" Alice sits with her pen poised over the paper.

"No specifics. We just know we want something intimate and simple. When I close my eyes I picture Edward in slacks and a button-up. I'm in something flowing and beautiful. We're outside and I can feel wind on my face and the ground under my feet. No aisles, no one in uncomfortable clothes." I sigh in frustration. "But where can we find something like that around here? I've looked at all those places your mom has recommended and nothing has felt right."

Rose is beaming. She's bouncing around and reminding me an awful lot of Alice.

"What the fuck is up with you? Why are you acting like the Energizer bunny is up your ass?"

That earns me the mom look. Her poor kid is in trouble because she already has this down pat. "I have the perfect idea if you'll shut up." Now she throws in the brow arch.

"Okay. Shutting up now." I make a zipping motion across my mouth and sit back.

She smirks at me before starting. "When Em and I went to Jamaica on our honeymoon, we stayed at this resort. One night we were out walking and we saw a wedding taking place. It was offered through the resort. It was a lot like what you're describing. Lots of resorts in tons of locations offer destination weddings now. You and Edward could do something like that."

I hear a squeal from Alice. "Oh, Bella, that will be perfect for you and Edward. I should've known some big wedding wasn't for you. You should talk about this with my brother. I know he will love the idea. Our family used to vacation at the beach and Edward always loved it. He loves the ocean and everything about it. I was never a fan since the sand was so messy, but it's perfect for you two."

Thinking over everything they said, I_ know_, I can _feel_ it, this is how we're going to get married. I suddenly feel more excited about things than I have since we told everyone about our engagement.

Now I'm bouncing around. "Thanks, ladies. I'll talk it over with Edward. I believe this is going to be perfect for us. Now that you've given me hope, I want to see that ring"—I motion to Alice's hand—"and hear about how you found out you were pregnant." I point to Rose's belly.

We spend the rest of the evening gushing over how Jasper proposed and talking possible nursery designs. It's great spending time with my girls.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Bringing lunch to Edward and Charlie has become something I enjoy doing when I have the chance. We eat in Charlie's office, and it's nice to spend time with them in their world.

Today I have something I want to discuss with them both. I'm pretty sure I've finally made a decision about a career. Edward and I have had many talks about what it's like to be a police officer … the pros and cons. We've also discussed other options. He's promised to support whatever I decide and I don't doubt he will. But I do know the thought of me on the street working as a cop, putting my life on the line every day, terrifies him. That's why I know he's going to be thrilled with the fact that I think something else is going to be a better fit.

I'm greeted by a hug from Charlie and a kiss from Edward as soon as I enter the office.

"What did you bring us today, baby?" Edward loves when I bring lunch.

I open each container and pass plates around. "I brought turkey and Swiss sandwiches made with that bread you love. I also brought pasta salad, fruit and Charlie's favorite brownies for dessert."

"That sounds great. Thanks, Bella." Charlie would probably start with the brownies if I let him. The man has a serious sweet tooth.

Leaning over, I whisper to Charlie, "I brought you extra brownies so you can take some home."

"Hey! I hope you left some for me at the house," Edward pipes in.

"Of course I did."

Not much else is said for the next few minutes as the men devour their food.

When they're mostly finished, it's time to start talking. "So … I have something I want to discuss with you both."

This gets their attention. "You know you can talk to either one of us about anything," my sweet Edward assures me. Charlie nods in agreement.

"I know. I think I've made a decision about my future in regards to a career. You've both been so great and supportive about me considering police work … well, Edward has been supportive after his initial protests." I wink. "And I appreciate that you've both been willing to answer any questions and give me a chance to decide for myself. I've realized, though, that becoming an officer isn't where my heart lies."

"Oh thank God! I would've supported you if you decided to go forward, but damn, baby, I'm so glad you don't want to pursue being a cop." The relief on Edward's face almost makes me feel bad for even thinking about a career in law enforcement, but I can't regret considering it or taking the time to think it over.

Charlie clears his throat, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Have you made any decisions about what you want to do?"

"I think so. I still want to help children. That's paramount in anything I decide. I've done some research and I think the thing that I feel the most sure about is becoming a child advocate specializing in child maltreatment."

"It sounds like you've given this a lot of thought," Charlie says as he leans back in his chair.

"I have. When I thought about police work, it was more the vague idea that I wanted to help. I wanted to make a difference and to never feel like a victim again. Becoming a cop seemed to fit that. The more I thought things through, I realized that feeling like a victim has nothing to do with a career. It's something I have to deal with within myself. Then I spoke with one of the girls at the shelter and she told me her story. She was failed by the people who should've helped her. So much shouldn't have happened to her if only the right person had listened. I want to be that person for someone else."

"That's very commendable. I know I have nothing to do with the wonderful woman you've grown into, but I don't think I could be any more proud if I'd been there to raise you and help you learn and grow. You're an extraordinary young woman." Charlie's voice cracks a bit, and my heart flutters at how good it feels to know he's proud of me.

"Thanks, Charlie. That actually does mean a lot to me." I turn to Edward. "What do you think?" His opinion is the one that matters most to me after all.

"I think it's a great choice. I'm selfishly glad you've changed your mind about being an officer, but I really do think an advocate seems like a really great fit for you." He takes my face into his hands, looking into my eyes. "You will be amazing at anything you want to do. You have so much love and passion. Any child will be lucky if you get their case."

"Thank you." I lean forward and give him a deep kiss. It probably borders on inappropriate with Charlie sitting right here, but I'm so light and happy I can't resist.

"All right. All right. I don't want to see that. No matter what, you are my daughter." Amusement plays on Charlie's face. I'm not the only one feeling lighter and more at peace lately.

"Okay fine. It's time for me to go anyway. My shift at the shelter starts soon." I walk over and hug Charlie, then Edward walks me out.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Edward and I sit outside. It's just the two of us, but we make use of the new grill and picnic table we bought for the barbecue.

I have my laptop out so we can look up possible wedding destinations. As soon as I told him Rose's idea, he was hooked.

"Is there anywhere you haven't been but always wanted to go?" I ask, hoping to narrow our options.

He thinks it over while cooking the steaks. "I don't really have any preference, but a year or so ago I was watching some special on TV. I can't even remember what it was about, but it focused on Belize. It was beautiful and I guess it stuck in my head."

I type in destination weddings in Belize and am thrilled when several things pop up. After the food is ready and we're both sitting down we scan our options.

We sift through links and pick a place that looks beautiful. Plus, we can rent the whole resort for ourselves and our guests.

"While you have that pulled up, let's see what we find in regards to the honeymoon," Edward says.

"You mean you want to leave the room?" I tease.

"Good point. Maybe at least once or twice … after we've sufficiently christened every surface." He winks at me.

Shaking my head at his silliness, I start looking up things to do. There are tons of activities and sights to see. Between all the sex we will definitely be having and all the things to do, we need to make sure we plan an extra-long honeymoon.

Once we have a good idea of what we need to do to plan this wedding, I log out. "It feels great to have a solid plan. Now, our wedding is coming together, I finally have a real idea of what I want to do career wise, your sister's getting married so Esme will still get her society wedding and Rose and Emmett are having a baby. Life is perfect."

He smiles at me before leaning in for a kiss. "Have you thought about children?"

I've been wanting to have this talk since we found out about Em and Rose, so I'm glad he's brought it up.

"I have. I was never sure if I'd want children. With my fucked-up past I always figured I'd be a horrible mother." He starts to speak, but I place my fingers over his mouth. "But that was before you. Now I can picture little boys with your crazy hair and little girls that have their daddy wrapped around their fingers. What about you? Do you picture children in our future?"

Pulling my fingers away, he places a kiss on each fingertip before speaking. "I picture everything with you, Bella. Children, vacations, dragging you away as you cry on the first day of kindergarten, walking a girl that looks like her mother down the aisle and one day sitting around surrounded by grandchildren. I can see it all … with you."

After those words, there's no way I can resist kissing him. Life is definitely good right now. It's even better when Edward lays me back and we make use of the picnic table in the yummiest way.

* * *

***So … looks like they wedding plans are coming together and big things are happening for everyone. **

***We're wrapping this up soon. Only one more regular chapter and an epi to go. It's been a wild ride and so fun, but I'll save the goodbyes for when it's over. ;)**

*****There's a lot of contests going on right now. Very exciting for writers and readers. **

**Be sure to check out the new Age of Edward contest. Entries are up now and you're really missing out if you haven't read them. Run and read!**

** www . fanfiction u/6939774/Age-of-Edward-Contest**

**Also I'm helping out in the Straight Thru the Heart contest. It's going to be a lot of fun. Entries start being accepted on Jan 21****st**** and will begin posting soon after. For more info, check out our FFn page or find us on Facebook. **

** www . /u/7375027/Straight-thru-the-Heart-Fics**

** www . /groups/995453023853913/**

**See you soon!...**

**Lissa**


	25. Mr and Mrs Cullen part 3

**Thanks so much to the awesome kitchmill who has been with us from the beginning and we could never have done without. Also, special thanks to Mana Liz for all her prereading skills. We adore you both!**

* * *

**EPOV**

I wake to bright sunlight and warm, naked skin under my fingers. Allowing them to lightly caress, I let my mind wander to what the day will bring and how we've come this far.

It's our wedding day.

A simple affair on the beach just before sunset with all of our closest. We've been planning and preparing for almost two months, and the day is finally here.

Right after our night of internet research, the planning began, and while it cost a pretty penny, my parents insisted on paying for the honeymoon portion while Charlie threw in on the actual wedding. Their contributions made it possible for everyone to get away for a few days to this beautiful, tropical resort.

To get to this day, though, there were a couple conversations that needed to take place. The first was when I asked Jasper to be my best man. You'd never think it'd be hard for a guy to make a decision like that, but for me it was. I've been friends with Emmett for years, but since Jasper's come to town, we've formed a bond. So in the end I chose him and I'll never forget how that conversation went.

"_Hey, man, you got a minute?" I asked as I walked into his office. _

_He looked up, startled by my sudden entrance, but nodded to the seat across from him. "Sure."_

_I took a seat and rubbed my unusually sweaty palms down my thighs. "So, how's it going?" I asked, completely avoiding the reason for my visit. _

_He tilted his head, but answered, "It's going okay. Just typing up the report on that last bust Marcus helped me make."_

_My brows lifted. "Yeah? He did a good job then?"_

_He waved me off. "Pfft. Yeah, man, fantastic actually. You were right about him, he's a good kid who had a bad start. He's definitely on the straight and narrow now."_

_My shoulders slumped in relief. "I just had a feeling, you know? I knew that if we could get him away from that life and give him better options that he'd do something with them." _

_Jasper nodded as I spoke. "Well he's doing just that."_

_I sat back in my seat now, a little more comfortable with this kind of conversation than the one I'd come to have. "So, how about you, man? How have you been? I mean, really been?"_

_His lips quirked up. "Shit, man. You know life's good for me. I have a job I'm happy with, the love of my life agreed to marry me and I'm surrounded by great friends and a strong family. What more could a man ask for?" he asked, leaning back and propping his head on his hands. _

"_Fuck, man," I say. "I know all of that. What I meant was, how is everything else for you? Is your counseling working out?" _

_Jasper started seeing someone shortly after we came back from Seattle, and maybe it isn't my place to ask, but I want to know it's helping him. No one can go through the things Jasper did and learn the things he learned without it affecting them. _

_He sighed and dropped his hands in his lap, pondering whether he wanted to even answer. After a couple moments, he finally says, "Yeah, it has helped a lot actually. Look, I never blamed you or Bella so don't even think that. My counseling sessions are more about how to find peace with how my brother lived and why he died than how he actually died. So don't ever think you can't bring it up or ask me about it. Okay?"_

_I closed my eyes for a second and let his words sink in. "Right. I worry about you sometimes, but I figured if you wanted to talk you'd come to me."_

_He blew out a breath. "I'm really okay with it all. It's the past, nothing I can change, so I just needed to wrap my mind around the senselessness of it all." He looked up and met my eyes. "I'm just glad the motherfucker responsible has joined him in hell."_

_I looked down to my lap. "Me too. Not only for Peter's sake, but for Bella's as well." I looked back up and around the room. "He had her in his sights and I truly believe he would've never stopped as long as he was alive." My eyes met his again._

_Jasper nodded. "Damn straight, he wouldn't have. I'm just glad to have been a part of taking him down."_

"_I never did say thank you," I said, reaching my hand across his desk. "You showed up just in the nick of time. If you hadn't made it back, I don't know if we'd have survived."_

_He took my hand and shook it readily. "You know there's no need, but I appreciate it anyway."_

_I pulled my hand back and allowed it to drop to my lap before bringing one up to rub at the back of my neck. "Well, I didn't come here for all that exactly, but I'm glad we had this talk."_

_Jasper's brows rose and a smirk formed on his lips. "Yeah? Then what exactly did you come for?"_

_Judging by his demeanor, he already knew why I was here, but didn't intend to make it easy. I bet Alice had already prepared him for this. Damn sis seemed to know everything._

"_I … uh …" I rub the back of my neck a few more times before deciding to just spit it out. "I want you to be my best man."_

_Jasper choked out a laugh. "Was it that hard to ask? Man, of course I'll be your best man. Don't stress yourself out over it, geesh." He shook his head like I was an idiot, and I guess he may have been right. _

The memory brings a small smile to my face and the body next to me curves, catlike, closer to mine. My hand starts a longer circuit, up, down, up, down. A small sound, almost like a purr, escapes before she stretches her arms over her head.

Bright brown eyes open to meet mine. "Morning," she says in her sleep-roughened voice.

"Hey, beautiful. Guess what today is?"

Her mouth curves up into the brightest smile and her hands round my neck, pulling her naked form as close as she can get. "This is the day you become mine, Detective." Her lips start a slow, torturous circuit up my chest and along the lines of my neck. She places open-mouthed kisses and nips along the way.

My body can't help but to react, firming at the contact. I bring her face up and plunge my tongue deep into her mouth where a battle ensues. My hands reach around and cup her ass, bringing her closer to press firmly against me.

A moan escapes between our lips and she pulls away, panting and writhing, gyrating her body against mine. And as much as it feels so fucking good, I can't allow her to continue.

"Baby," I say, placing my hands on her hips to stop their movement. "We can't."

A beautiful pout forms on her lips, but she agrees. It's written all over her face. "The next time I have you, you're going to be Mrs. Cullen." I punctuate those words with one more searing kiss, then I jump from the bed before she can tempt me any further.

"You're not playing fair, Mr. Cullen," she says, lying there eye-fucking my naked body.

I smirk. "No, I'm not, but just think of how great it will be tonight when I have you all to myself." I wiggle my brows and trail off to the bathroom, her eyes burning into me the whole time.

After a nice cool shower session, I walk back into our room with a towel wrapped around my waist. Surprisingly, Bella's already up and out of the room. I pick through my luggage, grabbing my clothes for the brunch we have scheduled today.

Before I can make a move to get dressed, the towel is suddenly snatched away. I jump around, startled, only to be met with a delighted giggle. "Damn, baby. It took some mighty cool water to calm him down earlier. Please don't wake him again."

Bella lifts her brows and props her fingers on her chin. Then she starts a slow circle around me, appraising every inch. Finally, she stops before me and leans in for one small peck. "Hurry up. Brunch is in ten minutes," she says and scoots from the room, flinging the towel back over her shoulder before exiting.

I take a deep breath and release it before shaking my head and getting dressed. During this time I think of my family in an effort to forget the image of Bella surveying my naked body. That thought only leads to trouble.

When I join her in the kitchen a couple minutes later, she grabs my hand and leads me from our suite. The actual Honeymoon Suite at Chabil Mar on an island off the mainland of Belize. The resort is all inclusive and our wedding coordinator planned everything via telephone with Bella in the weeks leading up to today.

We stroll to the private pier where we have scheduled a family brunch. By the time we arrive, most of our friends and family are already gathered.

"It's about time," Emmett says with his boisterous voice. "I'm starving."

I chuckle and lead Bella to the table for a seat. "You would be."

He rubs his belly. "Well, I am eating for two."

Everyone cracks up at his dumb self and takes their seats.

The waiters are swift and take our orders immediately. After they move off, small conversations break out among our guests.

When our drink orders arrive, Jasper stands and clears his throat. "I'd like to make a toast in honor of the bride and groom."

He lifts his brows, and when no objection comes, he starts speaking. "I haven't known Edward as long as most of you have, but the one thing I know best is how dedicated to Bella he is. And why not? She's an amazing woman who's made his life better every second she's been in it. They've had to fight through a lot to get where they are today, but I can assure you, just by looking at the love that beams from their eyes, that every second was well worth it. So I raise my glass to this amazing duo and wish them all the best for today and their future to come."

I take Bella's hand in mine and place a kiss to the back of it before raising my glass. "Hear, hear."

Echoes of my sentiment pass and fruity drinks are thrown back as Jasper returns to his seat just in time for brunch to be served. We all sit and enjoy a wonderful meal filled with conversation of the day to come.

At some point, Alice takes over, going over the agenda and pointing out who needs to be where at what time. When she gets to Charlie, instructing him to be at Bella's dressing room no later than five fifteen, I can't help but remember back to the day Bella asked him to walk her down the aisle.

_We were in Charlie's office, eating lunch Bella had brought, when she suddenly cleared her throat. Both Charlie and I looked up, giving her our full attention. She toyed with the hem of her dress for a minute before she noticed we were watching. _

"_Oh, sorry," she said, sounding surprised. _

"_What are you apologizing for, baby?" I asked, unsure of what was up with her._

"_It's just that … well I had something I wanted to ask Charlie," she responded shyly, which was so not my Bella. _

"_Oh?" My brows rose. "Well, go ahead then." I motion for her to continue._

_Her eyes focused on Charlie and she swallowed nervously. "I … I, uh …"_

_A frown marred Charlie's features, and when Bella didn't say anything further, he finally spoke. "Bella, what is it? Whatever you have to say, just say it."_

_She took a deep breath and blew it out. "I was wondering if you'd walk me down the aisle." She sat back in her seat twisting her fingers, waiting for Charlie to reply._

_He sat stunned for a moment. "I … I, um, don't even know what to say," he finally muttered. _

_She was quick to assure him. "No, no. It's okay. I understand if you're not ready for something li—"_

"_Wait just a minute," Charlie interrupted. "I didn't mean that. I was just shocked is all." He stood up and came around his desk, pulling her from her seat. "Bella, I'd be honored to walk you down the aisle. I don't think I ever expected you'd ask."_

_Bella was fast to reach over and throw her arms around Charlie's waist. "Of course I'd ask," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. Then she pulled back and looked to him with wetness in her eyes. "We may have started out rough, but you've been better to me in the year I've known you than my mother was my whole life. That has to count for something, right?" She let out a shaky laugh. _

"_Oh, Bella. I'll always be there for you. Anything. All you have to do is ask," Charlie said and pulled her back in for a tight hug._

_Sitting there watching that moment filled my own heart. it meant everything to me to see Bella finally get the right kind of parental support. And I knew if she let him, she'd always have that. _

"Edward." Bella saying my name brings me out of the memory.

I shake my head. "Yeah, baby?"

Her brow lifts. "Did you hear what Alice said?"

My eyes scan the table; everyone is waiting for my answer. "Uh, no, sorry. I was thinking about something else."

Alice huffs but repeats her demand. "I said, you and Jasper are to be on the beach, under the arch by five twenty, not a minute later. Got that?"

"Alice, you don't have to order me. I'll be there with bells on." I focus my eyes on Bella, running a finger along her cheek. "This is the best day of my life. I wouldn't miss a moment of it."

Bella sighs. "I love you."

I lean over and press my lips to hers, and when I pull away, I repeat her sentiment. "I love you and can't wait to make you Mrs. Cullen."

"All right, you two. That's enough," Alice says. "Time to hit the spa, ladies."

Bella rolls her eyes but moves to stand. I hastily jump up and pull out her chair, offering my hand. She smiles and takes it before standing with a small curtsey. I pull her to me for one more tight hug before I make her my wife. Our fingers stay connected until the very last second as she walks away.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

"You ready?" Jasper asks, standing at the door of my dressing room.

I meet his eyes in the mirror and take one more swipe through my tousled hair. Ready? He can't even begin to imagine how ready I am. "You have no fucking idea," I say, turning to join him.

He clamps his hand on my shoulder as I approach and looks me dead in the eye. "Yes, man, I'm pretty sure I do." He sighs. "I can't wait for my day like this."

I give him a small nod. "Let's do this."

Dressed in white dress pants and a simple white button-up, I make my way to the beach, sand squishing between my toes. As I approach, I take in the scenery. The ocean stretches as far as the eye can see as a backdrop to the scene of an intimate gathering. There's an arch covered in flowers of differing colors and simple white chairs sit just feet away.

Drill Sergeant Alice is already walking to meet me before I can reach her. "Perfect timing." She smiles and takes my elbow, leading me to take my place under the arch. "Stand here and we'll be starting soon." After positioning me, she turns to Jasper, and after a quick kiss, places him to my right.

"There, all set," she says and twirls off, headed toward the wedding coordinator.

"You do realize this is going to be nothing like your wedding day, right?" I ask Jasper.

He chuckles. "Yeah, I do know."

"Oh, my boy," my mom calls as she approaches, already with a tissue in hand.

After a kiss on the cheek, I pull back. "Mom, you don't need to cry. This is the best day of my life."

"Happy tears, son, happy tears." She sniffs.

Alice clears her throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Time to take our seats. The bride is ready."

When the music starts, my full attention focuses on the pathway leading to the beach. First to appear is Rosalie, and even though she's beautiful, I can't even stop and take her in. My eyes stay glued to the spot she appeared from, waiting with bated breath for a glimpse of Bella.

After a sufficiently slow walk to stand opposite Jasper and me, the music changes. My whole body vibrates in anticipation for that moment when I lay my eyes on her. When it comes, I can do nothing but suck in a huge breath of air.

Beauty personified.

She's on her father's arm, but I barely notice Charlie. All I see is Bella. I take her in from her bare feet up to the ruffles that cascade along her calves. Allowing my eyes to move upward, I recognize the curve of her hip as the dress tightens and hugs her form, ending just above the swell of her luscious tits. Bare skin entices me to continue along her neck and finally to her gorgeous face.

The smile that awaits me there is as bright as the sun that's setting over the ocean. Her hair hangs wild and free in loose curls underneath a veil that flows behind her. My eyes lock on hers and hold steady.

Closer and closer she moves until I can finally reach for her. The first contact of skin as she takes my hand sends a jolt throughout my body. This woman is about to be my wife. The reality of it is stunning.

I vaguely hear Charlie respond to the minister before he quietly moves away to take his seat. With our hands clasped, we face forward to cement the already unbreakable bond we share.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Under the twinkle lights on the dance floor, I hold her body close to mine. My palms rest on her hips as I stare into her eyes. There are no words being said; there's no need. We're one now. One entity bound together by so much more than a simple piece of paper.

Swaying from side to side with the crashing of the ocean's waves as a backdrop, I continue to take in my wife's beauty. The veil is long gone and her mahogany locks flow freely around her face. The serene smile that curves her lips is a direct reflection of my own feelings.

A throat clearing attempts to pull my attention, but I refuse to look away. Bella giggles at my antics and focuses her attention over my shoulder. Reluctantly, I glance to the side. Emmett is standing there with his hand held out.

I turn so my wife is as far away from him as possible. "Uh, sorry, man, but that's not happening right now." I look back to Bella as I speak again. "I'm just not ready to let go yet."

She smiles and allows her hands to slide up the front of my shirt along behind my neck. "I'm not ready either." Her eyes flick to Emmett. "Get lost."

I throw my head back and an exuberant laugh escapes my lips. Then I tilt my head at Emmett. "You heard my wife. Get lost."

Effectively dismissing him, I pull her tighter to me and we dance right out of his vicinity. Her giggles reach my ears and it's pure magic.

"I think we're safe now," she says, trying to contain her jubilance.

"No, baby. We're not safe. Not until we're far, far away from these people," I reply, running my nose along her jaw. "We're not safe until I have you naked beneath me. That sexy body writhing against me, begging for me to take you. Then, and only then, are we safe."

I can almost feel her thighs clamp down with my words, but I should know better than to play with my firecracker. She's never been one to let things go.

Her leg "mistakenly" brushes against me and stays put just a little too long while her lips burn a trail to my ear. "Oh, baby, that's the last thing you'll be." She licks my lobe and tugs it between her teeth. "You'll be in for more than you ever imagined."

I press my hardness against her. "And I can't fucking wait."

The screech of Alice's voice coming from the microphone breaks into our moment. Why can't they let me have my time with my wife, dammit! Sensing my irritation, Bella laughs it off and lifts her brow as if to say "chill out."

I roll my eyes and take her hand, facing where Alice is standing. "I think we've given our bride and groom sufficient time to enjoy their moment. It's time to cut the cake!" She throws up her hands excitedly and makes her way to where a large cake sits. "Come on!" She motions Bella and me over with more enthusiasm than a cake calls for.

Following my wife's lead, we make our way over to the table. It's a pretty cake, but pales in comparison to woman beside me. Grabbing the knife between both our hands, we make the first cut together as lights flash around us.

Alice stands with a plate at the ready. Removing a piece, we place it on the plate and face our over-enthusiastic guests.

"Feed her," Em yells over the rest of the crowd.

I pick up the fork and fill it with cake before slowly bringing it to Bella's mouth. Her plump lips enclose over the bite, her eyes locked on mine. Everything she does is sex, even something as simple as eating a piece of cake. It does nothing to calm the already large problem from our dance floor antics.

She releases me from her spell by removing the fork from my hands. Ever so slowly, she brings my own bite to my lips. Trying to affect her as she did me, I stare into her eyes and wrap my lips around her offering as she slowly pulls the fork away.

Realizing that everyone here is staring, I place the plate back on the table and turn to Alice. "Happy now? My wife and I have more dancing to do."

As I lead a giggling Bella back to the dance floor, Alice yells, "You better let someone cut in this time!"

I shake my head and spin Bella to face me, and her arms go around my neck instantly. "You know we are going to have to mingle at some point."

My lip curls. "I don't want to."

"Baby," she says softly. "Just remember that in about an hour, we're going to be free to retire to that honeymoon suite and not come up for air for days." Her hands slide to my chest. "So for now, we're going to have to mingle and then we'll make our escape. This will be the last we'll see of them for two whole weeks."

"Ah, you're right," I say, finally giving in. "I guess I'll have to share you."

She leans up and presses her lips to mine then coaxes them open with her tongue. With a tenderness we aren't accustomed to, she so thoroughly reminds me who she belongs to.

When we break away, I push my forehead against hers. "All right, one hour."

For the next hour, I dance with Rose, Alice and my mom, I have a drink with the guys and smoke a cigar with our fathers. But in all that time, my mind never forgets her presence. She's like a beacon to my eyes and light for my soul.

When she finally returns to my side, my world is set right again. Instead of tossing the bouquet, she just passes it to Alice, and with many hugs and well wishes, we're left to finally make our way back to the Honeymoon Suite as husband and wife.

As we approach the door, I swing her up in my arms. "Are you ready, Mrs. Cullen?"

"So fucking ready, Mr. Cullen," she replies.

We enter the suite and allow our passion to burn bright.

We spend the next two weeks exploring each other and the country of Belize.

We return home to our life as husband and wife.

We attempt to trade a family of two for a family of three.

And when that happens, maybe we'll need four?

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**Just an epi left to post *sniffs***

**Be sure to check out the new Straight Thru the Heart contest. They begin accepting entries on the 21****st**** and Lissa is a secret keeper! **

**Also, the Age of Edward contest is in the voting stage, have you read and voted?**

**Wedding pics are on our FB page, Fyregirl Fics, Links to it and the contests are on our profile.**

**This is my last AN so I want to take a minute to thank every one of you who have read along with us. This fic was out of both of our wheelhouses, but we are happy with what we were able to accomplish. I don't know what exactly is next for us, but you can bet, there will be a next. And at some point, we'll definitely have the Smoke sequel. Make sure we're on alert so you don't miss it. Huge hugs and kisses to you all and until next time! Muwah!**

**Fyre**


	26. EPI

_**Thanks so much to our patient, wonderful, kind kitchmill. She's an amazing beta and a great person. She's taught us so much and this story wouldn't have been the same without her. Thanks to Mana who has been with us from the beginning and offered up her honest opinion and helped make our story better. Also, special thanks to Judy who was with us through a lot of this. See you at the bottom…**_

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**BPOV**

"Oh fuck," I whimper out loudly, forgetting where I am.

"Shhh! You're going to get us caught."

"Shit. Sorry." He's right. We absolutely can't get busted, so I have to keep my voice down. It's just so difficult when Edward's thrusting in and out, hitting that magical spot.

I've been a very vocal lover since I met Edward, but over the years I've learned to quiet down when necessary. Sometimes, though, I find it nearly impossible to remain silent. This is proving to be one of those times.

My moans and gasps must get louder again, because next thing I know his lips are attached to mine, swallowing my sounds.

I'm getting close when his fingers trail down to my clit. I pull away from his mouth, sucking in a breath. As my orgasm hits, my teeth clamp down on his shoulder to stop myself from screaming out. With a few more deep thrusts, he finds his own completion.

Knowing we only had time for a quickie and we'll likely be discovered soon, we detach from each other and move swiftly to right our clothes. No sooner have we finished do we hear a voice.

"Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?"

"Oh shit," I whisper. "I guess nap time is over." That was really close. Therapy isn't a bad thing. I should know. But I don't want my kids needing it because Mommy and Daddy can't keep their pants on. Shit like that would definitely traumatize them. We've had some close calls over the years, but so far we've been lucky. We probably should learn to control ourselves better, but that's clearly never going to happen so we've managed to become very stealthy. Now we have to deal with the little munchkin who's right outside the closet we're hidden inside.

Edward and I stare wide-eyed at each other, grinning. Edward places his finger over his lips in the universal signal for me to be quiet. With his other hand, he grabs the knob, yanks the door open, rushes out and snatches up a little body.

"Daddy!" Squeals and giggles rush out from our youngest daughter currently being tickled by the man she adores above any other.

I stand watching two of my favorite people when a short blur runs in and rushes over to the action.

"Tickle me too, Daddy." Our baby boy jumps on Edward's back, and I decide it's time to help him out. After all, he did just give me a stellar orgasm.

I grab up our spider monkey. "You want to be tickled too, huh?"

Suddenly the room is filled with squeals and giggles, and it's still hard to believe sometimes, even now, that this is my life. When I was nineteen, if anyone would've told me that someday I would be married, have four children, a loving family and friends and be completely fulfilled, I would have laughed in their face. Now all these years later, my life is more wonderful than I would have ever imagined, and I owe it all to the man currently helping me tickle the little monsters in our arms, the man I've been married to for nearly ten years and the same man that just fucked my brains out in a closet. Good thing I started taking yoga a few years back. Being limber definitely helps when we have to be creative with our locations.

Later on, after one epic tickle war, we're all down in the kitchen having a snack when the door bangs open and running steps head our way.

Edward's clone comes running in followed closely by my very own mini me. Our older two came out nearly the spitting image of each of us with Catherine, our seven-year-old, having her dad's eyes and wild hair, and Harrison, our five-year-old having my brown eyes and hair. Our youngest two, four-year-old Mia and two-year-old Jack, came out the perfect mixture of us both.

I look past our returning children to see Carlisle and Esme—who Catherine and Harrison, along with their cousins, stayed the night with—slowly trail in. Both appear haggard. Esme's usually immaculate hair hangs limp and Carlisle's clothing is more wrinkled than I ever remember seeing.

After hugs and snacks pulled out for our oldest two, the adults head into our living room.

Edward chuckles. "It looks like you two have been having fun."

Carlisle leans back on the loveseat with a deep sigh. "Son, I adore my grandchildren, but I'm too old to keep up with them. They just have so much energy."

Edward frowns. "Were they terrible? Did they show out?"

I wait to hear Carlisle's answer knowing our kids aren't angels. What kids are? But I also know they are usually fairly well behaved and sweet children.

Esme answers instead of Carlisle. "Absolutely not. They were perfect. You and Bella have done a wonderful job with them. All kids have a lot of energy. It's quite normal. We're just older now and having four children in the house can be a bit much."

Carlisle smirks, looking so much like his son at times. "Especially when two of those four belong to your sister." He pulls Esme to him, and she immediately relaxes.

"The twins? Yeah they can be a handful." I laugh. I love my nieces, but no one can deny they are spoiled and quite the terrors when they don't get their way.

Knowing her history and that having a child might be difficult, Jasper and Alice started trying for children as soon as they were married. Unfortunately they lost four pregnancies before managing to get pregnant with the twins with the help of fertility specialists. I'm sure the pain and struggle they went through are the reason their girls are so spoiled.

Carlisle nods emphatically. "Don't ever repeat this, and if you do, I'll deny it, but those girls are definitely like their mother. She was quite the demon as a child and her girls are even worse. I think I'm scared of them."

Esme rolls her eyes and swats his arm. "Stop being a fool, dear. They aren't that bad. They're just rambunctious."

Esme and I may not have always seen eye to eye, but there's no denying the love she has for her family. She's mellowed a lot over the years and we've grown much closer. After Edward and I started having children she became the most loving grandmother they could've asked for, and now I love her like the mother I never had.

She turns to say something to Edward and while she isn't looking, Carlisle looks at me and makes little demon horns on his head with the hand not wrapped around his wife and mouths the word "demons." Not wanting to get my father-in-law in trouble, I bite my lip to stop the laughter from bursting out. Unfortunately for him, Esme turns and catches him, which earns him an elbow to the stomach.

Edward and I laugh at his parents, and again I'm reminded how blessed I am to be able to call these people family.

We visit with Carlisle and Esme for a bit longer before they kiss us all and drag themselves out the door vowing to go home and nap.

The rest of our day is spent with the kids, enjoying our time together.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

"Mia, honey, will you get the door for Mommy?" I ask my youngest daughter. She's at the age where she loves to help, so I try to let her do things whenever possible.

"Okay, Mommy." She pulls open the door to the shelter and holds it while I go through. My hands are full carrying Jack and the big bowl of cookies the kids and I made to bring in. I don't get to visit as much as I'd like, but I still make time to come by when I can, and when I do I always try to bring some sort of sweet treat.

Maggie comes rushing out to help as soon as she hears the door. It's hard to reconcile the woman before me with the shy, broken girl I met a little over ten years ago. She's become a wonderful, happy, confident woman. She stayed at the shelter for four years, getting her GED and then a college degree. She continued to volunteer at the shelter after moving out, and once Kate decided to leave to start her own family, Rose offered Maggie her position. She jumped at it and now pretty much runs the shelter single handedly since Rose spends much of her time at home with her and Emmett's six daughters.

Maggie looks at the cookies, clearly tempted to grab them immediately. Her sweet tooth has only grown over the years. Ultimately, though, she grabs Jack from me and bends down for hugs and kisses from Mia.

Next it's my turn for a hug. I sit the cookies down and wrap my arms around her. I see her as often as possible and she's our first call as a babysitter, but it's never enough. Once we break apart, I lean down and kiss her tiny bump that's just started showing. She's five months along with her first child, but only started showing recently and I can't get enough of feeling her belly. She looks beautiful and radiant.

"You're so tiny. I looked like a whale at five months," I tell her as we sit down.

"Oh please. I was here for all your pregnancies. You never looked like a whale. You were all belly and you know it."

I roll me eyes at her. I was a whale and have the stretch marks to prove it. I don't care, though. Every ache, every stretch mark, the ever present pooch that won't go away no matter how many sit-ups I do, the boobs that aren't quite as perky after feeding four children— it's all worth it. Plus, my husband still can't keep his hands off me and makes sure I know he thinks I'm beautiful.

She pulls out the basket of toys they keep here for kids. Mia and Jack love visiting and for the moment are content to ignore us and focus on pulling everything out.

Before we can even say anything the doorknob turns. Neither of us has a chance to even get up before the door opens and Rose rushes in followed by her four youngest girls.

"Hey, Bella. Maggie." She comes over and gives us hugs while her girls head over to play with my two.

"What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming in," Maggie says.

"Well I'm not here to work. I left something in my office and since I was out I figured I'd come by and grab it on the way to Emma and Lilly's dental appointment.

I frown. "Too bad you can't stay. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"I know. Me too. It's been a crazy few weeks. The baby was sick, the girls had activities nearly every day and Emmett had a case out of town."

"You know Edward and I would be glad to help you if you need us. All you have to do is let us know."

She sits down. "I know. Trust me, if Em hadn't made it back when he did I would've been calling." She checks her watch. "I only have a minute, but guess who I ran into yesterday."

Now I'm intrigued. "Who?"

"Jacob Black." At the mention of his name Rose and I both burst into laughter.

"I must be missing something. I don't know him. What's the story?"

I realize we've never mentioned him to Maggie.

Rose speaks up. "He was the district attorney when Bella testified against James. He had a major hard on for Bella."

I roll my eyes. "He had a major hard on for any woman, but he was definitely a pain in the ass. He hated Edward for some reason."

Rose pipes up again. "Because Edward was the one you loved, the one who got to have sex with you."

"Well whatever the reason, he actually tried to trump up charges against Edward once we returned from our honeymoon."

Maggie gasps. "Oh no. What happened?"

I look at Rose and we both laugh again. Finally I sober up enough to finish the story. "Charlie went to bat for Edward of course. And really Black had nothing, so it wasn't hard to get everything he had tried to pin on Edward dismissed. Right after it was all thrown out, Edward, Charlie, Emmett and Jasper paid Black a visit."

Maggie's eyes widen. "Did the beat him up?"

Rose scrunches her nose. "They didn't do anything to him physically, but we're not sure what happened. None of the guys will ever tell us exactly what went down. All we know is that Black resigned the next day and two weeks later he packed up and left town. This is the first time he's been back as far as I know. And when he saw me and realized who I was he said to tell Emmett that he was just back for the day to visit family. I swear the man damn near wet his pants at seeing me."

This time we all burst into laughter.

Rose straightens up and checks her watch again. "Okay, ladies. I have to run to my office and then hit the road."

I stand and give her another hug. "Call me and we'll plan a playdate and lunch."

"Okay sounds good." She and the kids are off just as fast as they came.

Maggie and I just stare in awe as the door closes behind her.

"She stays so busy. I don't know how she manages having six children. Well seven if you count Emmett." I laugh. "He's a great man and wonderful father, but he's definitely like having a large child."

"He is. Rose said he's flipping out because Ella and Lee both have crushes on boys at school. He's insisting that Rose start homeschooling them to keep them away from boys," Maggie says as she shakes her head.

"Poor man. Jasper is the same way from what Alice says. Apparently he's even talked about chastity belts and towers." We both laugh. "I can't even imagine how Edward would handle having all girls. Thankfully having two boys helps balance him out. Of course he still has his moments. One time he got upset picking Catherine up when she was in kindergarten because he saw her playing with some little boy. He came home and told me we needed to lock her up because boys were evil. Harrison overheard him and started crying because he said his daddy thought he was evil. I was so pissed at Edward at the time." Now I can laugh, but at the time that earned him a night on the couch and earned me some stellar make-up sex the next night.

"You never told me that. Now I'm going to have to tease him about it next time I see him." Maggie has become close to us all over the years and is very much a little sister to Edward, Jasper and Emmett.

"Just don't tell Marcus. He'll never let up if he knows. Of course, if your next one turns out to be a girl I'm sure he'll have his own crazy moments we can all laugh at." I still have trouble sometimes believing Marcus and Maggie are together even though they've been married for a year and are expecting a baby boy. They met several times over the years through Edward and me, but at our New Year's get together two years ago, things just clicked between them. Marcus had proven himself to be a good man and Maggie was finally at a place in her life to let love in.

"Speaking of babies, have you two picked a name?"

"Um … I wanted to talk to you about that." She looks more like the girl I originally met sitting here, nervous and unsure.

"What's going on? You know you can talk to me about anything." I lean forward.

"Marcus and I were discussing it, and we'd really like it if we could name the baby after Edward if that's okay with you both, and we'd also like to know if you'd consider being his godparents." She lets out a long breath.

I sit speechless for a moment before grabbing her into a hug. "We'd be honored. Can I ask why you want to name the baby after Edward? I don't mind at all," I assure her. "I'm just curious."

The tension melts away and her posture loosens up. "Well you and Edward saved us. We will never be able to repay you both for what you've done for us each, not to mention we met through you. We couldn't think of anyone we would rather have our child named after. If it was a girl we'd be asking to use your name. Hopefully someday we will."

"Oh, Maggie. You have to know that all we did was offer you guys a chance. We saw your potential and the good in you. Our part was simple. You guys are the ones who actually accepted our help, and that was the hard part. It's been our privilege and joy to watch you two grow and become happy. You never have to thank us or try to repay us. We'd do it all again in a heartbeat." I'm getting all teary.

Maggie has glassy eyes herself. "I know, but it's important to us, so if it's okay with you we'd still like to name him Edward and for you to be godparents."

"It's perfectly fine and we'd love to be godparents."

"Don't you want to discuss it with Edward first?"

I scoff. "Honey, he's going to be thrilled. He may be a little reluctant about the name thing simply because he's not too fond of his name, which is just crazy. Don't worry, though. He won't give you a hard time. I'll make sure of it." I give her a wink.

She just shakes her head and laughs. We continue talking, discussing nursery ideas and baby showers.

"Is Alice planning the shower?" I ask. I'd be glad to do it, but this kind of thing screams Alice Whitlock.

"She is. You know how she loves stuff like that. She's also been a huge help with nursery ideas. Not to mention the maternity and baby clothes she's given me. She's like a one woman factory of all things pregnancy and baby," Maggie gushes.

After having the twins, Alice changed her boutique up and made the focus maternity clothes, baby clothes and designer nursery ideas. Her store has become the go-to place for women all over.

"She's always the one I go to for all that too. That woman has endless energy, and such a big heart. I thought she'd slow down after the twins, but having them seems to have made her more energetic, which I didn't know was possible. Sometimes I feel for Jasper. He has the patience of a saint."

She laughs knowing how true that is. "Well I'm sure he enjoys that energy at times." She actually wiggles her eyebrows.

"Oh, I'm sure," I agree.

A few of the women staying at the shelter come by and fawn over the kids as they always do. It's a great visit until Jack starts to get fussy.

"Oops. That's my signal, I guess. Time for this little guy's nap. Charlie and Sue are coming for dinner tonight and I don't want him too fussy." With more hugs and kisses, I load the kids up and head home.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

The kids are setting the table and I'm just finishing up dinner when the door opens. There are multiple voices, so Charlie and Sue must have arrived the same time as Edward. The kids all rush out the meet them. Everyone comes into the kitchen minutes later with all four children attached to the three adults in some way.

"Kids, please go finish the table and then wash up so we can eat."

Three of them reluctantly let go and head back into the adjoining dining room while Jack keeps his hold around his dad's neck, his little face smooshed into Edward's shoulder with no intention of letting go.

"Can you wash his hands please while I take the food to the table?" I ask Edward.

"We'll do it," Sue says as she reaches to take Jack from his daddy. Surprisingly, he goes right to her. Usually he's all about Edward once he gets home. With Jack now firmly snuggled into her arms, she and Charlie head toward the kids' bathroom.

Edward walks over to me. "Before everyone comes back I'm going to need my appetizer." He leans over and gives me one hell of a kiss. It definitely makes me want to skip dinner and go straight to dessert. It's amazing what this man can still do to me with the simplest of touches after all this time.

By the time the grands and the kids make it to the dining room, dinner is on the table.

Dinner is always noisy and one of my favorite times of the day. The kids love to tell us all about their day and anything else that pops into their heads. I dread the day the kids will have their own things to do and sharing a meal together will be sporadic at best.

"It's your anniversary this weekend, right?" Sue asks during a rare quiet moment.

My eyes meet Edward's and we both smile. I turn back to Sue. "It is. Ten years."

"Do you have any plans?"

Edward answers, "Not really. We kind of just figured we'd hang out with the kids."

Charlie speaks up. "Well it's up to you, but Sue and I were wondering if maybe we could get the kids this weekend."

Charlie and I have grown much closer over the years through many talks and even some joint counseling sessions. Now even though I never could get used to calling him Dad, the relationship we have is that of a father and daughter. I trust him with my life and, more importantly, I trust him with my children.

Still, all four can be a lot for anyone, so I have to ask. "All of them? Are you sure? They can be a handful as you well know."

Charlie scoffs. "Please. They're angels, always good for Sue and me. And we wouldn't have asked if we weren't sure."

Edward barks out a laugh, but instead of saying anything he turns to the kids. "Do you guys want to spend the weekend with your papa and nana?"

The kids immediately voice their agreement. They love spending time with Charlie and Sue. It doesn't hurt that Sue spoils them rotten and Charlie loves taking the oldest two out on his fishing boat.

I meet Edward's eyes while the kids are talking excitedly with their papa and nana about all the fun they're going to have. The look he gives me tells me the most deliciously naughty things are going to happen while we have the house to ourselves. I love our kids and love having them all here and spending time with them, but I must admit the thought of having Edward to myself and not having to stay quiet immediately causes a throb between my legs and the anticipation sends a shiver down my spine. I let him know through my own look that he's going to be in so much trouble.

Once everyone has eaten their fill, the dishes are done, leftovers put away and Jack's eyes are starting to droop, Charlie and Sue bid us all goodnight with promises to pick the kids up Friday evening. After they're gone, Edward and I work together to bathe the kids and tuck them in before finally settling on the couch with some wine. Some nights we're exhausted and head straight to bed after tucking in the kids, and some nights we head straight to bed for other reasons, but now that Edward is able to be home most evenings, we try to spend a couple nights a week just talking and connecting.

Charlie decided to retire last year to spend more time with his grandchildren and Sue, who he married a few years ago.

"I'm so glad you're able to be home so much more now." I lean over, giving him a soft kiss.

"Me too. Taking over for Charlie was the right thing to do. I still get to keep my hands in the cases, but now I'm not the one having to chase down criminals. I was getting too old for that shit."

When Charlie retired he recommended Edward for the job as chief. After my assurance to support him no matter what he decided, we discussed it and weighed the pros and cons. In the end he decided to take the job. Being in law enforcement was his passion and in his heart, but with the kids came other responsibilities and to the best of his abilities, he wanted to make sure he was going to make it home every day. Taking over for Charlie was the best solution.

I snort. "Please. You know you're still in great shape and usually end up outlasting me when it comes to keeping up with the kids and in bed. But I am glad you get to be home more and aren't dealing directly with the cases as much. The kids and I need you too much for anything to happen to you. The only downside was that the department lost their best detective."

He laughs. "Better not let Jasper hear you say that."

"Whatever. He's not even a detective anymore so he can't say shit."

Five years ago, Jasper was starting to get antsy in his job. He loved law enforcement, but after solving the mystery of his brother and then having his own children, he felt a little lost career-wise. After talking things over with his shrink and Alice, he resigned from the force and opened his own PI firm.

The firm specializes in finding missing teens and long lost family. He's really good at what he does and his business took off after helping with a well-publicized case. He spoke with Edward about possibly partnering with him, but that wasn't really for him. Jasper approached Emmett once he realized Edward wasn't leaving the department. Emmett, having his own ever-growing family, took him up on it. Now today they run the best PI agency around. People come to them from all over the country. They actually sent Marcus to school and hired him to help, and Charlie has even lended a hand on occasion.

"Speaking of Jasper, he called today. They want us to come for dinner later this week if that's okay."

"Of course. I feel like I haven't seen anyone in forever."

He snickers. "Baby, we see everyone all the time."

I pout. "I know, but it never feels like enough."

He leans over and kisses my pouty lips. "We'll try to do better and see them all more if it makes you happy."

I smile. "Thank you. It would make me very happy. And speaking of seeing people, I dropped by the shelter today and talked to Maggie." I fill Edward in on Maggie and Marcus wanting us to be godparents and the name situation.

"That's really nice of them to want us to have such a huge part in their child's life." Edward loves the idea, just as I knew he would. Well, the godparent part at least. "As for the name, maybe I can talk them into using Anthony instead. It's still my name and not nearly as bad as Edward."

I giggle. "You're crazy. I love the name Edward."

He grins at me with that mischievous spark in his eyes. "I bet I can convince you that Anthony is better."

I smirk and lean close to him, lowering my voice. "Well since it's _Edward_ I scream out every time we fuck, I'm pretty partial to that name and don't think you'll change my mind."

He points a long finger at me before trailing it down my cheek, ending with it resting against my lips. "Exactly. Do you really want to associate the name you cry out in ecstasy with a child?"

I take a second to think it over. Edward is the name I love above any other, but … "Okay, Anthony isn't that bad." We both burst out laughing.

The laughter doesn't last long when he runs his fingers through my hair and cups my head. "Just so you know, you're going to be screaming my name a lot this weekend. By Sunday you'll be hoarse."

My breath stutters at his promise before he kisses me, tilting my head so his tongue can plunge deeply within my mouth. It's wet and messy and exactly what I need. He pulls me so I'm straddling him. Within seconds I'm grinding on him, feeling his hard cock pushing against my drenched panties. I reach down for his belt and quickly get it unbuckled before going to work on the button. His hand reaches inside my yoga pants quickly finding I'm going commando tonight. His fingers skillfully find my clit knowing exactly how to play me. Right as my hands finally get his pants loose, we hear a cry. We both still instantly waiting to see if there will be another.

Another cry sounds seconds later, and we both laugh breathlessly as I stand and straighten my clothes. "I'll go check on him and meet you in bed?"

"Okay, baby."

I lean over for one quick peck before heading upstairs. We may still run extremely hot for each other, but our children are always the priority.

They are such a priority that I once again rethought my career after having Catherine. I knew I didn't want to totally be a stay at home mom. There were too many children out there that had no one, or no one worthy to take care of them. Because I couldn't turn my back on all the children in need, I trained and became a CASA volunteer. It's rewarding and I still get to be the kind of mother for my children I wish my own had been.

After a quick diaper change and tucking our little man in again, I head to our bedroom, to the man that owns my heart and soul more today than even ten years ago, so we can pick up where we left off. Edward is waiting for me in bed and we rekindle our flame from downstairs, the flame that never dies, and set each other's worlds on fire just as we've been doing since the moment we met.

* * *

_**Well what can I say? This has been an amazing ride. We started out doing this for a contest and from there it grew into this. I don't think either of us knew exactly what to expect from these characters when we started. **_

_**The best part of our journey with these guys has been you all. **_

_**For the ones that have been with us along the way… your words, smiley faces and thoughts have meant more than we can ever say. You've helped us grow and always encouraged us to keep going. We've valued every review and taken everything you told us to heart. **_

_**To our new readers, thank you for choosing to give our tale a try. We appreciate the time you've given us. **_

_**We hope you all loved these characters as much as we do.**_

_**And I can't say goodbye without thanks to my co-writer for so much. For coming up with the idea, for always being patient and for being a good friend. **_

_**Much love to you all and we WILL be seeing you again soon so don't forget to put us on alert. XOXO**_

_**Lissa**_


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